Moving the Unmovable
by Tengoko
Summary: 1st in the Storm Series being rewritten . Tifa has been caught, and Reno is charged with her transport to Midgar. But, along the way the pair face many obstacles that lead to something that neither of them are expecting. A chance at love. Rated M.
1. Caught

**Tengoko: Moving the Unmovable was the first Final Fantasy fan fiction I'd ever written. I really was surprised by the number of people that grew to like it. This story spawned the creation of the Storm Series which consists of this story's sequel, Project Manning, and a prequel, Transcending Chaos. Despite the number of people who liked this story, a few days ago I reread it to make sure that continuity wasn't disrupted in the prequel and realized that the story was hastily written, chalk full of errors, and had some issues as far as remaining true to canon. So, I have decided, after thinking on it for a while, to re-write it. All Storm Series projects are on hold, as are all other Final Fantasy fan fictions until this project is complete. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I think it will be for the best in the long run.**

**Staple Disclaimer for the Story: The only thing that I own as far as Final Fantasy 7 is concerned is the video game which is currently sitting in my console. I do not own the rights or anything affiliated with Square-Enix. **

**Staple Rating: M for language and mature subject matter**

**Chapter 1: Caught**  
--

_She sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers digging into the sheets, pulling at the egg crate that she'd put on the bed because he'd complained about it being too firm. As he spoke, her tear filled wine-colored eyes remained fixed on the picture that had been taken not so long ago. The image, as only celluloid could deliver, captured a moment in time when everything was okay. They were all together. Cloud was okay._

"_That's why I have to go," he said, his tone of finality being what shook her. She swallowed hard, trying to moisten her dry throat. It was a feeling she disliked; not having words to say. "I don't mean to hurt you, Tifa. But… you can't come with me. I'm sorry."_

_She blinked and slowly pushed herself up. The room was dark, but her eyes were perfectly adjusted to this. Crossing her arms across her chest, she allowed herself a nod. Still, her stomach was tumbling uneasily, her heart pounding loudly and her legs just too shaky for her to depend on them to carry her towards him. _

"_After everything that happened," she began, her voice sounding stronger than she felt, "after everything that we'd been through… you can just say that to me? I understand that you have battles that only you can fight. That your demons are something that only you can tackle. But, I thought that you'd learned by now that people like me, people who care about you won't slow you down or stop you. I can help you, Cloud. This is something you don't __**have **__to do alone."_

_Cloud put his hands on the back of his head and let his body fall against the wall. He was irritated, that was plain to see. But she didn't understand why. Wasn't she the one who should be feeling like this? His behavior was typical. He could never stay in one spot for very long. But, in the past, he had an excuse. The death of the little flower girl that Tifa constantly felt that she had to compete with had haunted him for… well, longer than she would have liked. But… she waited for him. She waited for him. And for what? So he could leave her now? So he could go and search for something that they'd destroyed. _

"_He told me, word for word… he will never be a memory. That's a risk I cannot take. I have to be sure that he can't come back. Why is this so hard for you to understand?"_

"_I understand it!" she yelled, angry that he'd just used that patronizing tone on her; a tone he'd mastered in the last year of their relationship. "I understand that you want your freedom to handle it your way. But, I don't understand that you would be willing to sacrifice what we have because you are afraid of something that we could both handle together!"_

"_I'm not afraid of it!" he shouted, standing up._

"_Sephiroth is dead, Cloud. He's dead, just like Aeris is dead."_

"_Shut up!" he said, pounding his fist on the wall. "You don't know what you are talking about?"_

"_Yes, because you are the only person to have ever fought him. Kindly remember Cloud that I saw him slaughter my father and my friends. That I have felt the edge of his blade and nearly died from it. I was at that battle in the Northern Cave too, so please stop carrying on like you are the only one who has suffered at his hands. Spare me."_

"_Tifa, I don't want to fight with you."_

"_Well, if you thought you could just walk out on me without a fight, then that's your fault. You'd have been better off just walking out like Barret did when he took Marlene and Denzel. Just like Vincent did. But, at least his excuse was a good one. He didn't give me some bullshit about making sure that all remnants of Jenova are gone. They are, Cloud! Why can't you accept that?"_

"_Because if I just assume that you are right and you turn out to be wrong…" he didn't have to finish the sentence. They both knew what it meant. "If there is a way to come back, Sephiroth can and will find it."_

"_If!" she said. "If! If! What if! Is that the best you can do, Cloud? Really?"_

"_You are right," he said. Those words made her eyes light up with hope. Had she just gotten through to him? Was he going to let her come along? Better yet, was he going to stay? "I should have just left without telling you anything."_

_It was the way that her heart felt like it was dissolving slowly that carried her across the room. She slapped him as hard as she could, her mouth letting out a savage cry. "Fine… go!" she screamed. "Just look one last time! I'm not waiting for you anymore! I did enough of that!"_

_He stood up again, having been knocked against the wall by the force of her hit. His eyes didn't meet hers. "I had hoped that you would. I still love you, Tifa. I always will."_

"_What good does that do me when you are never here?" she asked bitterly. _

_Cloud didn't answer. After a moment of just standing there, the silence so consuming that it felt like a separate entity in the room, he finally moved towards the door and out of her life for what would be the last time._

--

Tifa's first thought upon opening her eyes involved a few expletives and a silent inquiry as to where she was. Her burgundy eyes darted around. All she saw were crates. _Great._ She sat up a bit. That's when she realized that her hands were bound. She stared at the ropes for a second as though she thought that she'd only imagined they'd been there. But, after a few seconds, she realized that they really did exist and that she really was at… well, wherever the hell she was.

"Don't panic," she told herself, though she didn't really have to. She wasn't scared. In fact, she was annoyed that this slight misadventure took her away from the bachelorette party of her best friend. She tried to gather her thoughts at that point. She regretted it right away because it made her very aware of the headache that she had. Still, she recalled going to the store and picking up some wine coolers, chips, dip, and a dirty party game. She smiled a bit when she recalled the look on the teenage store clerk who looked at it and then at her, or rather, her chest, and then appeared as though all of his prepubescent dreams had come true.

"Getting away with yourself. Focus," she scolded herself. All right, so she had gone groceries and was heading back to their beach house. She'd opened the door and then… "Oh… right," she said, remembering being face to face with a certain blonde Turk. She'd shrieked upon seeing Tifa, obviously not expecting to see her so soon. Tifa dropped the bag and raised her fists just as Tseng said, 'So, you are the one who purchased Rufus' beach house.' Next thing she knew, she was here. "How the hell did the Turks knock me out so effectively?"

All right, so now she knew why she was there. The where was still a mystery. No matter, she now knew who her enemy was and had nothing to worry about. That secure thought fresh on her mind, she began to struggle against the ropes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said a man with a wily voice. She recognized it right away.

She turned her head to the side quickly, but then doubled over, her eyes squinting shut. "Son of a bitch," she groaned, the pain in her head now throbbing. "Reno? What the hell?"

"Are you always this eloquent, babe?" he asked. She stared at him angrily. There was something about the way he was standing that pissed her off. Maybe it was because he looked so damned haughty; like he'd already won. He was holding a cigarette in his hand as he leaned back against the metal wall, his foot propped up against it.

"What did you just call me?" she snapped. "No, never mind. That's not important. Just let me go."

"I like you, Tifa. You get right to the point. As it is, though, I'm not authorized to do that. So, it looks like you're just going to have to get comfortable there." He walked closer to her and sat down on a crate. He stuck the cigarette in his mouth, took a long drag, and then exhaled the foul smelling smoke in her general direction.

"You, of all people, know that these ropes can't hold me for long. So, you have two choices here. You can release me and I won't beat you within an inch of your life. Or, you could sit their and keep looking like an idiot, and when I get free, I will beat you within an inch of your life. So, Reno… which will it be?"

He laughed. "Well, isn't that something. Of all the people of your little group, you'd be the last one I'd peg as the funny one." He shook his head and said, "wait, allow me to retract. Cloud was pretty dull."

Tifa's eyes darkened. Cloud simply wasn't a name you said in front of her unless you were one of her friends. She looked down at her hands and slowly began fiddling with them. To distract him, she asked, "Where am I? Can you at least tell me that?"

"I can," he said. "You, Tifa Lockheart, are currently in the cargo hold of a Junon ship bound for… well, Junon. You are hear because the president seems to have taken a liking to you, babe. At least, enough of one to request your company in Midgar. Does that answer your question?"

"Okay… seriously, stop calling me that."

"Why? What are you going to do about it… babe?"

She rolled her eyes. "And, where are the other infamous puppets of Rufus Shinra?"

"If you are referring to Tseng, Elena, and Rude, then I must apologize for their absence. They had their own undertakings to tend to. Though, I must say," he began, his turquoise eyes scanning her body slowly as though trying to memorize the way she looked, "I don't envy them."

"Gods… of all people to be with, it had to be you." She heard the way that he laughed and felt like slapping him. "Besides, you couldn't handle me. Your Midgar doxies are a shadow of the woman that I am."

"Doxies? It's not nice to call the fine, respectable women that share my bed names. You don't even know them. I think it's unfair to judge them beforehand, wouldn't you agree? I mean, somebody of your superior morals should know better, don't you think?"

She didn't answer. She was nearly free. Reno seemed to have noticed that now. He got off of the crate, threw the cigarette aside and grabbed her wrists. "I won't act as if I am stronger than you. I know that you can easily free yourself and overpower me. But, I do have my orders. I gave my word to the President that I'd do my job. I'm nothing if not a man of my word."

Tifa, being utterly helpless, and hating the fact, looked away from his commanding eyes and glowered. She had no words to say. Nothing that would have gotten her anywhere, anyway. So, she chose to go the Vincent Valentine route and fell into a silent brood.

"There, love. That's better." He laughed when she groaned at the new term of endearment. "Well, we are almost to Junon. You slept most of the way."

"If you call that sleeping," she muttered.

"Tifa," he said, squeezing her wrists. "It's rude to interrupt somebody when they are talking." She looked at him, waiting for him to continue. He blinked. "Oh, I'm finished." He smiled at her as his eyes scanned her again.

He'd have to be careful with this one. This was going to be a hard mission; he knew that the moment he was briefed. She was tough, strong-willed, and feisty. In fact, Reno had been thoroughly trounced by her the last time they'd fought. Though, he did recall that he was able to cop a feel before jumping like a maniac from the Sector Seven pillar. Still, the fact remained that she was undeniably beautiful and, Reno, having a weakness towards the fairer sex, had to keep reminding himself that she was Tifa Lockheart, and translated into his language, that meant she was off limits.

"Stop looking at me that way," she said, feeling like a painting under his scrutinizing eyes.

"Come now, Tifa. If we are going to be spending the next few days together, we should probably learn to get along."

"I figured we'd covered that base when you helped us regain Wutai. But, I guess that teaches me a lesson. Turks can never be trusted, no matter what they do to prove otherwise."

Reno looked a little wounded by that comment. "Tifa, don't take it personally. It was just bad luck that placed you here with me. Had Yuffie been the one to walk in instead of you, she'd be the one tied up and I'd be the one having to listen to the Great Ninja's ranting and raving."

Tifa sneered. "Had it been Yuffie, you'd be lying in a ditch somewhere as Vincent fed your entrails to his dog."

"Well, there you go. This worked out for everybody." Reno stood up, the grin back in its rightful place. She had to admit, there was more depth to this man than she'd like to think. If Elena had been the one in charge of this mission, than Tifa would have already been swimming back towards Costa del Sol. Better yet, she'd have the captain turn the ship around. But Reno had proven in the last year that he had a mind; that he could outthink some of the smartest men and find unique ways to gain the upper hand. If not for him, Yuffie would have married some asshole that had been threatening her country and probably would be dead by now.

"Screw you," she said, for lack of anything else to say.

Reno threw his head back and laughed. "Well, if you want…"

"Sir!" Reno turned around, his hand going straight for his gun as if by reflex. "We will be docking in Junon within the hour."

"Good," he said, his voice notably different than his conversational tone. He actually seemed to have an authoritative air about him. It made sense now. Before, Tifa had always wondered how anybody could take a man like him seriously. "And is there a chopper waiting for us?"

"No, sir. The president is sorry to inform you that all choppers are currently being used by Shinra employees. He can, however, have a buggy for you by tomorrow morning."

Tifa laughed at the look on Reno's face. She couldn't resist herself. "Is the poor little Turk angry now that you aren't Rufus Shinra's favorite Turk?"

"I've never been his favorite Turk," he said absently. "Now shut up. I'm thinking."

"Don't hurt yourself," she said.

"Babe, I'm a tactician. Thinking isn't one of my quandaries. If you are going to attack something about me, at least say something reasonable… calling me a slob would make more sense." It really would. Of all the Turks, Reno was the only one who wore a wrinkled shirt that he kept untucked and scuffed up shoes.

"You give yourself too much credit. You aren't nearly as smart as you think you are."

"You know, I hate you a lot less when your mouth is closed."

She smirked and her brow rose. "That doesn't give me much stimulus to stop talking," she said. To her dismay, he laughed. "Well, then, what are you going to do?"

"About what?" he asked looking generally surprised. She pointed at the trooper in blue. "Oh! Right. You're still here." He stood up a bit straighter and said, "Fine, fine. Just make sure we have a place to stay before we step foot off the boat or I'll kill you."

"Yes, sir," the trooper said, saluting before going to do as he was ordered.

Tifa stared. "So, that's how things get done at Shinra? You threaten people with their lives for the simplest of orders. What a respectable job you seem to have."

"Oh, please. I find it comical that I'm being lectured on ethics by a smutty bartender." He regretted those words the second they came out of his mouth.

"Smutty!" she screamed, ripping her binds. Her hand shot for his ankle and pulled him down. He landed on the ground with a heavy clank. Before he could react to what had just happened, Tifa was over him, her hand on his collar and her fist plowing into his face.

It wasn't as hard as it could have been. He knew that. He saw another fist coming at him and barely was able to dodge it. He heard her knuckles crack on the floor next to him, but she raised her fist again. "Damn," he cursed, hooking his legs around her waist and flipping her over. He used the fact that he'd just taken her by surprise to his advantage and pinned her down with his knees. "Tifa… cool it!" he shouted.

"Get off of me," she screamed, twisting and writhing.

Reno, feeling he had no choice, removed his gun from its holster and, with one swift motion, pressed it against her temple, not only pushing the gun, but her whole head onto its side, pressing her face into the floor. She felt the gun digging into her head and wondered if he realized just how much strength he was using against her.

"Stop moving," he said in a scarily calm voice. It seemed to do the trick. He was surprised she hadn't called him on it. By his own admission, she knew he had no choice but to get her to Midgar alive. "Right. I'm tying you up again," he said, reaching for the rope. "When we get to Junon, I have to have your word that you won't pull this shit."

"You're stupid if you think I'll agree to that."

"Tifa, I can't have you screaming your lungs out and drawing attention to us. I need you to behave like a good hostage," he added, his usual light-hearted humor replaced by mean-spiritedness.

"The first chance I get, I'm going to run." No sooner had the words left her mouth did she quickly turn her head, forcing the gun from her temple to the center of her forehead. She spat in his face, her head coming up, forcing Reno to remove the gun. Then she saw him pull out his electro-mag rod, but before she could say anything, he pressed it against her side and jolted her with enough electricity to knock her out effectively. Well, if nothing else, it answered her earlier question.


	2. Priorities

**Tengoko: Well, here's the next chapter. I guess if you're a fan of the old one you would have noticed the obvious changes I've made. This was done because I originally thought that Tifa was written too out of character and that Reno was too idealized. Also, it also occurred to me that if Cloud were to leave Tifa, it'd have to be for a good reason, and the original reason just didn't seem to hold up anymore. Anyway, this chapter is also very different. I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Chapter 2: Priorities**

--

_Vincent had gotten shot. Normally, it wouldn't have mattered. When Chaos inhabited his body, it rendered him virtually invulnerable. He healed freakishly fast no matter the injury, and he was assured an immortal life. But, after he defeated Omega Weapon, Chaos was gone and Vincent was human again. Of course, they hadn't realized this until he'd been shot, and he didn't heal. In fact, he'd nearly died._

_Tifa sat in the hall outside the room that he was sleeping in. Shera was with him, tending to his wound. Red XIII, Nanaki, as he was now called, sat next to her, his head resting in her lap. Her eyes burned and her cheeks were wet with tears. She couldn't lose Vincent. He was like her big brother. He'd taken Barret's spot in her life. _

_The journey had made them close. It surprised her, to be honest. He seemed to type who'd be drawn to Aeris before anybody else. But, he looked after Tifa. He was a man of few words, but he was always at her side. And when he had learned Cloud left, he had returned to her. It was strange to think that she had survived Barret and Cloud leaving her, but she didn't think she could survive Vincent leaving._

"_I think he's going to be okay," Nanaki said, his fur tickling her leg as his jaw moved. "A year ago, if this happened, I wouldn't have been so sure."_

"_What makes you sure now?" Tifa asked, wiping her cheeks with one hand._

"_Because Vincent Valentine has people to live for now. He won't leave us, Tifa. He won't leave you either. He vowed that he was going to save Yuffie Kisargi from Sehton and restore Wutai to its rightful heir. Since that hasn't happened yet, he won't be dying anytime soon."_

_He sat up and sniffed the air. "It smells like Reeve is brewing some coffee. I can't stand the smell. Will you be all right if I step outside for a bit?"_

_She nodded. Alone now, she pulled her knees towards her and wept silently. Nanaki was right, though. Vincent couldn't die because he was the only one who could save Yuffie. He was the only one who knew the way things worked there. He also knew that Yuffie was counting on him to save her, and even though he hadn't cared for her in the past, Vincent now took her well-being very personally. So, no. He couldn't die._

_She heard heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor and looked up to see Cid Highwind walking towards her. He handed her a large, white mug of coffee before sitting down on the floor next to her. He looked tired and angry, but he put on a smile and placed his arm around her. He had come to be much like a father figure for Tifa. When he left, she was devastated. But, she couldn't blame him for leaving. He was in love with Shera and had come back to be with her. They were married now._

_--_

"_She says he's going to live," Cid said, taking a sip of coffee. "So why don't you relax a bit, Teefs? As soon as he's healthy we are going to go to Wutai to get Yuffie back."_

"_I thought the Shera couldn't fly right?" she asked, thinking of the damage Sehton's group had inflicted on it._

"_Well, not any time soon. But, I've got a crew working on it right now. And, Reeve is on the phone with Rufus Shinra trying to get some other means of transportation. We're going to get it figured out, Teefs, so don't worry. You know… that's your problem. You worry too much. Why don't you go into my room and try to get some sleep? It'll do you some good. You're starting to get circles under your eyes."_

_Tifa shook her head. "I have to see for myself that Vincent is going to be all right."_

"_Fine," Cid said, standing up. "Let's go in."_

"_But… but Shera said—"_

"_Yeah, yeah. Last time I checked, this was still __**my**__ house and this was still a room in __**my**__ house. I'll go in there whenever I damned well please," he said, helping Tifa to her feet. "And… if Shera doesn't like that… then I'll buy her a diamond ring or something."_

_Suddenly, the door opened, and Shera in question was standing at the threshold with an amused yet censuring expression. "So… you think you can buy my forgiveness, Cid? Is that it?"_

"_I don't know where you got that idea, dear," he said, feigning innocence._

"_Besides, you bought me a diamond ring the last time you screwed up. This time it's the earrings I'll be wanting." She stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind her. "Tifa, dear, he's asking to see you."_

_Tifa smiled weakly and opened the door. She heard Shera whisper something to Cid and somehow knew that they were talking about her. She smiled. She really liked Shera. She was a sweet woman and was the type of woman that would take care of Cid who, all in all, was really just a child stuck in the body of a thirty-five year old._

_Vincent was lying on the large bed, his body covered waist down in the thick white comforter. His upper body was bare with the exception of his shoulder which was wrapped in a bandage. It was the first time she'd seen him without the gauntlet on his left arm. She saw the long, vertical scar that Yuffie had told her about, not to mention the other countless scars that covered his chest and stomach. He was paler than usual; probably because he'd lost so much blood. But, the bandages were clean which meant Shera had finally stopped the bleeding._

"_Hey," she said, sitting down next to him._

"_You were crying?" he asked, looking at cheeks._

"_No," she lied. She lay down and pulled the comforter over her body, putting her arm lazily over his stomach. She wouldn't usually do this. Vincent wasn't the type of man you cuddled with, but she needed to be close to him right now. "Don't ever do that to me again," she said._

_She heard him breathe loudly and then felt his warm arm pull her closer to him. "I'm sorry. Next time somebody points a gun at me, I'll be sure to tell them to ask you if it's all right to shoot me before they pull the trigger."_

_She laughed but then hit his torso. She felt him tense his muscles. "It's not funny, Vincent!"_

"_I chuckled a little on the inside," he said as though that proved her wrong. "So, do you know what's happening?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_When are you going back to Wutai?" he asked, shifting in the bed a little._

"_The Shera was damaged, but Reeve is apparently trying to work something out, so we'll just have to wait."_

"_No," Vincent said, sitting up. She knew that it hurt him to move as quickly as he just had, but it would be pointless to tell him to lie back down. "We can't wait that long. They are going to kill her if we don't get there soon."_

"_Well, there's nothing else that we can do but wait."_

"_No!" he shouted. He stood up, lost his balance and fell onto the floor. Tifa had never seen him this way. She shot up after him and reached out for him. He swatted her hand away and stood up, using the bed as support. Without another word, he went for the door, staggering a bit, but moving quickly nonetheless. He ripped the door open and made his way down the hall, Tifa following close behind. "You!" he said, pointing at Cid. "We are going to Wutai… now!"_

_Cid, who looked shocked at first, stood up and asked, "How do you suppose we do that?" _

"_Figure it out," he said. "But we are leaving before tonight!"_

_Reeve stood at the door, surprised by the scene just as much as everybody else. When nobody said a word, he raised his hand timidly and said, "If it helps, Rufus said that he's sending an airship to us."_

_Cid wheeled around on him. "That information could have been useful before now!"_

_Reeve smiled. "I wanted it to be a surprise."_

"_Well, I'm not going without my crew flying the airship," Cid said. _

"_You are going regardless," Vincent said, walking forward. "We don't have time for you to be particular."_

"_It's a tradition," Cid said as though that mattered to Vincent._

_Vincent responded by picking up a vase that was on the mantle next to him and throwing it at Cid's head. "I'll tell you what you can do with your traditions!"_

"_Vincent!" Tifa shouted, grabbing his arm. _

"_He does have a point," Nanaki said, walking towards the front door. "We don't have time for this. We'll let Shinra take us there because we have no other choice."_

"_Well then answer me this," Cid said, willing to forgive Vincent just this once for that act of aggression. "Who is flying the airship?"_

_Somebody knocked on the door at that point. Shera, glad to have an excuse to move out of Vincent's line of fire went to answer it. Next thing anybody knew, Reno was standing in front of them all in his lackadaisical stance. "You guys ready to go?"_

--

What she wouldn't pay to have Vincent there now. He'd stayed in Rocket Town because Cid and Reeve had insisted on giving him a bachelor's party. Had he been in Costa del Sol, he'd have found out what happened to her and she would have been rescued by now. On that note, if Cid knew that the Turks had kidnapped her, skulls would definitely be rolling.

When she woke up, she heard the low, bellowing sounds of a tenor saxophone playing a pleasant but slow melody. It made her hair stand on end. It was amazing how music could give her goose bumps. It was a shame she couldn't truly enjoy the song. All she could focus on was that she was lying in a large bed covered by a thin blanket.

Reno was sitting at a table across the room. He was leaning on the back legs of his chair, his feet propped on the table as he toe tapped absently to the beat of the song. He was reading a book and seemed very immersed in it.

"What is that?" Tifa asked, her way of letting him know that she was awake.

"Most people call it a book," he said matter-of-factly.

She gave him a bland stare. "What's the title?" she asked more specifically.

"The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Ever heard of it?" he asked, moving his feet and letting the chair move forward so that all four legs were on the floor now. "It's a required reading if you are a first class Soldier. I must have read it five times."

"It must be good then?" she asked.

"It's not bad," he said. "But… for the most part it's the only book I have with me."

"There is a Bible in the drawer if you are bored with that one," she said, trying to sit up. It was then that she realized that she was actually handcuffed to the bed post. That would make escaping a little problematic.

"I don't tend to read things like that," he said, closing the book and setting it down. "And I don't think you do either. I heard you say Gods before, implying that you believe in more than one."

"What do you believe?"

"I believe in many things. Most of which I can touch, see, and analyze. God… or as the case may be, many Gods aren't on the list of Reno Storm's beliefs, mostly because it seems ridiculous that there are all knowing… things… that allow such stupid shit. If they do exist, which I doubt, then they must be pretty stupid themselves, and in that case, I don't want to waste my time. Anyway, I'm not prepared to have a theological discussion with you right now." He stood up. "How are you feeling? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Like you care," she said, looking away from him. "Nobody even looked twice did they? An unconscious woman being carried in by a slob like you?"

"Actually, I told them that you were sick. They felt so badly for you that they gave me this room for free." He laughed at the look she threw at him and went to the window. "Don't worry, Tifa. Just go back to sleep. By this time tomorrow we'll be half-way to Midgar."

Tifa let her head sink into the pillow. So many thoughts were spiraling through her head. Even so, she couldn't seem to hold on to one. A feeling began to take over her. One she was familiar with, but this time it seemed more of a problem than before. Raising her head a fraction, she said, "I have to use the restroom."

"All right," he said. "Go for it. I have to make a phone call." He turned towards the door and managed to get out into the hall before Tifa began shouting at him. One of the troopers who was guarding the door looked at him inquisitively. "Bladder issues," he offered as a way of explanation. "See to it."

He walked into the lobby and removed his PHS from his pocket. Three missed calls. Well, they deserved it. He pressed redial and then sat down on the couch as he waited for the phone to be answered. "Yo," he said when he heard Rufus' voice on the other end. "What's the deal? I thought that everything would be taken care of."

"Reno, please remember who you are talking to."

"I'm talking to the guy who's supposed to be taking care of me. Where's my damned chopper, Rufus?" he asked, trying to sound angry. He really wasn't, but Rufus wouldn't know that. "I thought this mission was important to you."

"It is important, Reno. This, by no means, is a sign that you can take it lightly. However, this mission is not a priority compared to what I have other people doing. Tseng and Elena are up north hunting for Barret Wallace, I have Rude at Nibelheim investigating the destruction of the reactor, I have WRO members running everywhere because of the recent attack in Sector Two, and on top of that, there are rumors that another Jenova part has been found. I wasn't being facetious when I informed your men that all the helicopters were being detained. The ones that I could send to you are on hold."

"Well, get them off hold."

"Reno, the buggy will be there in the morning. Why don't you,"

"If you tell me to relax, I swear to everything that is holy that I will take her straight back to Costa del Sol. I'm not kidding, Rufus. I want a little more respect from you. I think _you_ forget who I am and what I am capable of."

"No, Reno. I don't… that precisely why I ordered Tseng to give this mission to you. It may not be a priority, but it is still very important to me that it gets done. If it is that important to you, I can have a chopper there in two days. But Reno… if you ever talk to me like that again, I'll have no choice but to punish you."


	3. Schemes

**Tengoko: Sorry for taking so long to update. Job hunting and all that. I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed and will assure you that I will finish this story as soon as I can. **

**Chapter 3: Schemes**

**--**

Urination was a private matter. There was a reason restrooms were invented with doors and locks on them. So you didn't have to do something so vulgar and personal in the company of others; especially in the company of the opposite sex. It didn't seem to matter to these people, though. Oh no. Heaven forbid she pee with the door closed. It's not like there were any windows she could escape from, and the vent was entirely too small. So unless they feared she was going to escape by flushing herself down the toilet or being sucked down the drain in the sink, than there was really no reason for them to stand at the door while she did this. Still, they insisted that it be done, so what choice did she have.

In truth, she knew she could have killed them all. But she'd learned that doing things the Barret way did always pay off. Sometimes it took patience and perfect timing. Just knocking out a few troopers and bolting towards the door wouldn't do her any good. Reno would just track her down, and as far as she was from Costa del Sol and Rocket Town, it seemed pretty pointless to do anything now.

"I'm finished," she said, turning off the sink after washing her hands. The guards walked in and led her to the bed, handcuffing her as they'd found her and then standing by the door, waiting until Reno returned. They all looked like SOLDIER second class. How charming. All these wannabes glorifying the position they were working towards. In Tifa's experience, being first class was no more special… or dignified. Nobody who ever came out of those ranks every achieved anything noble anyway. Great things, maybe. But not noble.

_All right, so how would Nanaki do this?_ You were supposed to take what you knew of the enemy. Well, judging from what she had observed, Reno was an alcoholic. He'd frequented her bar often before he'd crushed the plate onto it. That bastard. And he always drank himself into a stupor and would usually have to be dragged out by his partner, Rude. That or he'd be thrown out by her when he'd get to rowdy with her other patrons. _Well, him being an alcoholic does nothing for me. What else?_

He was a notorious womanizer. Tifa didn't understand why. There was nothing particularly striking about the way he looked. But, it seemed he was the most popular bachelor in all of Midgar… and then Edge… and then Midgar again. She supposed it was because some women really were into the slob sort of thing… maybe the bad boy thing, too.

Still, that seemed to be Tifa's best ammunition. She was a woman. And, at the risk of being conceited, she was quite an attractive woman with large… assets. She had once sworn that she would never manipulate a man with her body. That would be shallow and improper. But, what choice did she have at this point? She couldn't allow him to whisk her away to Rufus Shinra. Not after what happened last time they'd met. She'd never forgive that man.

Well, now that she knew which weapon to attack with, she needed a destination for which to head once her plan was set in motion. Her best bet was to sneak back onto a ship headed for Costa del Sol and try to meet up with Yuffie, assuming that they hadn't left yet, which was entirely possible. Perhaps she'd even try to get a hold of a PHS to try to contact her. And, she couldn't just take the elevator to the platform. A Shinra trooper was guarding it and they'd know not to let her on. She'd have to do what she'd done before. Enlist the aid of Priscilla and just climb the tower to the platform. Of course, enlisting the aid of the girl was dangerous. If Shinra found out that she helped her escape, it could mean bad things for her.

Reno walked into the room looking irritated and grumpy. With a wave, he ordered the troopers out of the room and began taking off his jacket. It was weird seeing him without it as he'd always donned the Shin-Ra uniform in front of her, no matter how sloppily he wore it. He also took off his goggles and set them on the dresser along with his PHS and his wallet.

"You weren't gone very long," Tifa remarked, lifting her head a bit. "I take it you weren't on the phone with your mother?"

"Oh, sweetness, my mother has been dead for many years now," he said with a smile. "But thanks for asking. It's nice to know that you care so much. On that note, we'll be staying an extra day. I'm getting a chopper, but I won't be able to get it for a bit. So, just make yourself comfortable."

"Not likely," she said, looking at her wrists. The fact that he'd gotten them a chopper meant no difference to Tifa. It just gave her extra time to try to seduce him. She hoped it wouldn't be that hard. He didn't seem to be the type of man to care where the women came from, as long as he got to bed them in the end and then have nothing to do with them in the morning. Fortunately, for Tifa, it wouldn't have to come to that.

"You look so sad, doll. Is there anything I can do to make you turn that frown upside down?"

She knew he was being sarcastic, but she figured it was a good opening. She turned on the waterworks. Man, it had been so long since Tifa had cried. It felt so awkward having these tears welling up in her eyes. Was it normal for them to sting a little? Maybe her eyes were irritated or something… or maybe it was because she'd been shocked so many times that day, which, as she thought about it, seemed like a ridiculous reason, but as she was no doctor, in her mind, it was almost plausible. Her vision blurred so much that she was unable to see the effect that it had on Reno.

"Dear God, what did I do?" Reno asked, taking a step forward. He was as confused as he'd ever been. One moment she looked as defiant as ever then, suddenly, she was bawling her heart out. Reno never did well with women's tears, but he was always good at hiding the effect that they had on him. "Stop crying, Tifa. There's nothing more pathetic than a woman's tears."

She sniffed a bit as her vision became clearer. It was about time the tears started falling. "That's a horrible thing to say."

"It's true. Women's tears are rarely ever sincere. It's simply just another tool of manipulation that they use against us, hoping to bring us to our knees, ready to do whatever we can to make the tears stop. But they don't work on me, so don't even try."

Man, this was going to be difficult. "I can't help it. I'm just so… so… frustrated. I was supposed to be celebrating my friend's last days of single-hood and quite abruptly, I was yanked from that and brought here. I don't know why, and you aren't talking. Of course I'm upset. I'm surprised that I've only now started crying."

"Well, imagine that. The strongest woman in the world brought to tears for something so silly. Just when I thought you lacked for any feminine emotion. Then again, I am forgetting that this is the girl who was head-over-heels for Clou—"

"Don't you dare!" she shouted, pulling herself up. She heard the headboard groan a bit as the handcuffs resisted against it. She didn't care. Then again, it only now occurred to her how easy it would be to break it. Yet, that wouldn't be very nice for the owners of this place who were probably blackmailed by Reno into silence. It did look like quite an expensive bed, too. "Leave Cloud out of this! He's been out of my life for a while now, and I'll be damned if I let somebody like you drag his name back into it."

"I seem to have touched a nerve," Reno said laughing a bit. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked up. "I hated him so much," he said, ignoring her last words. "You know, up until I met you and your little gang I'd never been defeated in a fight. You know how frustrating _that_ was. Even more frustrating than knowing I'll never have the chance to fight him now. Rufus seems to think we owe him something so we aren't allowed to fight him. But you know, that's all right. I seem to have outgrown such pettiness. At any rate, I apologize for your current state. If I had permission to tell you more than I already have, than I would have done it. It's not a habit of mine to make woman cry all over themselves."

"No, you prefer to do other things with women, don't you?"

Reno seemed shocked by how bluntly she'd said it. "Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but yes. Women are known for having much better things to offer me than tears. Can I really be blamed that so many are eager to share a bed with me?"

"I didn't say that," she said.

"You didn't have to, babe. Your tone said it all. Your judgment of me is as clear as glass, and your disdain for me drips from every word that you utter. That's fine. I wasn't expecting a friendship to develop. After all, I am you kidnapper. That would just be silly, wouldn't it?"

"I don't hate you, Reno," she said honestly. "I haven't forgotten that, because of you, Yuffie is alive today. I had thought that after all of that, though, the Turks and I, or rather, my gang as you put it, wouldn't be on the opposite side of things anymore. I hate this situation that I'm in, and I hate the man that ordered you to carry out this mission. But, I can't blame you anymore than I could blame a puppet being controlled by his puppeteer. He simply can't think for himself."

Reno stared at her for a moment before he burst into laughter. "I'm not sure whether to be grateful that I don't have your hate or insulted that I've just been called a puppet."

"Take is as you will," she said.

She studied him for a bit now that silence had taken over. He wasn't that bad looking, now that she thought about it. She could see now why women didn't mind sharing his bed. Her eyes darted to his lips. They were thin, but not too thin, and for once, the corner wasn't twisted upward into that goofy smirk he always wore. At least they were chapped. She hated kissing chapped lips. Maybe this wasn't going to be so hellish after all. Sure, she didn't want to kiss Reno, but seeing that she had no choice, well, she had to take small victories.

She wondered how she was going to lead him into the kiss. Obviously playing the damsel in distress card wouldn't work on him. Her tears didn't do a thing and, in fact, she was a damsel in distress _because_ of him. Damn, she wished her mind worked like Nanaki's. She'd be out of here by now. She was no good at coming up with the plans. Then again, her approach couldn't be had. She couldn't just outright ask Reno to kiss her. That would definitely raise some suspicion that she was up to something. Damn it. Why did it have to be so complicated?

"Are these handcuffs really necessary?"

"Considering your warning, I believe that they are. I can't have you running away now. Rufus Shinra wouldn't be happy about that at all, and it'd be my ass on the line."

"Has it ever occurred to you that you could just quit?"

He chuckled. "How funny you are. One simply does not quit the Turks. We know too much about… everything. There's a risk that a Turk who just leaves may wag their tongue. That's why you don't hear of too many retired Turks."

"Then what the hell compelled you to join it in the first place?" she asked.

His expression darkened. "That's a road we don't need to walk down, babe. My motives for doing what I do are none of your business, and you won't be asking that stupid question again. Now go to sleep or I'll make you go to sleep."

Tifa was surprised by the reaction that question garnered. So, the Turk does have a nerve that shouldn't be touched? That was good to know. Still, it seemed weird to Tifa that there might be more depth to Reno than what was on the surface. It made him more human in her eyes, and that wasn't something she liked. As far as she was concerned, all of the Turks were of the same breed. Callous, cold-hearted puppets who did exactly as they were told with little or no regard to the consequences. But, after that reaction, it seemed that there was more to why Reno became a Turk. That he hadn't done it for the guns and the prestige. Reno had a past.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know that that question would bother you."

"It didn't," he lied, his voice snappier than usual. "Don't mention it again."

"Reno…? Where will you be sleeping?"

"On the bed, of course," he said, his smirk returning. It was amazing how fast his glower transformed into a smug look once again. "I'm a Turk. Do you really expect me to sleep on the floor?"

"You will stay on your side, won't you?" she asked, her burgundy eyes staring straight into his.

He had to admit, it was more than disconcerting. Any other woman and he probably would have taken advantage of the fact that they were handcuffed to the bed. He wasn't proud to admit that to himself. In fact, he was more ashamed of it than he'd care to admit to himself. Fifteen years ago, he never would have imagined he'd once become the man that he was today. But, there was no use beating himself up over it. He was who he was. And that man was completely amazed that he hadn't tried to cop a feel on Tifa. Maybe it was because she'd probably break the headboard and strangle him if he did. But, the way those eyes were looking at him told him otherwise.

He was about to answer her question when she asked, "would you think any less of me if I asked you to kiss me?"

"Wait…" he closed his eyes and replayed that sentence in his head. There's no way he'd heard it right. But, every time he went over it, he could think of no other way to interpret it. "What?"

"Kiss me, Reno," she pleaded, her eyes growing even larger as she tried her damndest to give him her best come-hither look. She was pleased to see him sputter.

"What…? Why? What the hell, Tifa?"

"I don't know what's come over me. I just know that right now, I want you to kiss me. I'll examine why later. But, trust me; I'm not the analytical type. Now, please kiss me before I change my mind."

Reno wasn't sure what she was playing at. There was no way she really wanted him to kiss her. She despised him. He knew that. She could tell him a thousand times that she didn't hate him, but he knew that was a lie. How could she not hate him considering that he was the one who crushed her home and all those people underneath the Sector Seven plate? But, his weakness was women, and Tifa was an especially gorgeous one. And, she had offered an invitation for him to taste those lips. Throwing caution into the wind, Reno leaned forward and pressed his lips into hers.


	4. HidenSeek

**Tengoko: Um… so, sorry for taking so long to update this story. It was flowing pretty well until the end of this chapter which I got caught up on for a while. I hope you all like version two of this story and I apologize for taking it away and then taking so long to update. I'll do my best to get this story finished.**

**Chapter 4: Hide-n-Seek**

**--**

Tifa was shocked to find that she rather enjoyed the feel of his lips on hers. They were surprisingly soft and warm, and he wasn't trying to force the kiss either the way Cloud had done on many occasions. He simply moved his lips over hers as though they were gliding, and when she felt his tongue trace her bottom lip, she heard a moan in the back of her throat. She'd have to remember to kick herself for that one later.

His hands her on her cheek, but soon his fingers dug into her hair and he pulled her head closer to deepen the kiss. _Curse him for being such a good kisser!_ _He had no right being able to kiss like that!_ She wasn't supposed to like this. This wasn't supposed to be a perk to her plan. It was meant to anger her, to remind her of the arduous task in front of her. Damn it. He was supposed to be reckless, not tender. She would have to kick herself again when she realized that she wanted to put her arms around him. Good thing she was handcuffed to the bed. _Wait. I didn't seriously just think that, did I?_

Reno was a little shocked as well. He always figured kissing Tifa would be heaven, but he'd never expected that it would be the best kiss he'd ever tasted. He'd had many women before Tifa who were practiced in the art of kissing and lovemaking. How the hell was it that this young woman was better than all of them at this? _I think I'm getting carried away_. With that damning thought, he broke the kiss and looked down at her lips. Damn it, now that he'd tasted them, they looked even more delicious than before. This wasn't good.

Tifa bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Reno looked confused. "For what?"

There was no way he could have avoided it. Her head slammed into his with a sickening crack. He only felt the pain for a second before he was consumed in unconsciousness. Tifa wished that she could say she hadn't felt any pain from what she'd done, but that would be a lie. At least she hadn't knocked herself out.

"Maybe I should have thought this through," she said, realizing that she still hadn't solved the problem of being handcuffed to the headboard. "Well, they are just going to have to get over it," she said to herself in reference to the owners of the inn. In all fairness, they hadn't gone out of their way to save her or find somebody who could. She didn't owe them any sort of gratitude or courtesy.

It broke rather easily. She would have been surprised if it hadn't. But, there was still one problem. Just because she broke the headboard and could move around didn't mean she still wasn't handcuffed to it. She had to find a way to get the handcuffs off. Rolling onto her side, she got up from the bed and looked around. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Fortunately the sound of the headboard breaking had gotten the attention of some of the troopers outside and they ran in rather quickly to see what the ruckus was about.

"Oh good," she said, jumping back onto the bed and putting her foot on Reno's neck. She wasn't really applying any pressure, but there was no way the troopers could have known that. All they knew was that their boss was out cold and their prisoner could kill him if she chose to put all of her weight onto this sensitive part of his body.

"I know one of you has the key. You will come and undo these handcuffs or I'll kill him."

"Maybe we should call Tseng?" one of the suggested.

Tifa should have known. These weren't the type of people used to making decisions on their own. Even life and death ones. Great. "You could do that. And I could just crush his throat. It's really a horrible way to die. And I'm sure the Turks and Rufus Shinra won't appreciate that you boys could have prevented such a fate. Now, which one of you will be releasing me?"

--

"_Where is it!" he screamed, throwing over the coffee table as though it would reveal a hiding spot he was unaware of. It wasn't the first time that table had gone flying across the room, and it definitely showed. How many times had his older sister attempted to duck tape that leg back onto it? Usually, they just propped it up with books now. It's not like their father read them anymore and they had way too many big words for Reno to understand yet._

"_I don't know," his sister said, pressing herself up against the wall as though it would make her invisible. "I put it in the vase just like you told me to. I don't know where it went. Do you think that maybe you've already used it all up?"_

_In an instant, their father turned around and backhanded her across the face, sending her down to the ground. Reno was suddenly struck with anger, but what could he do? He was only five years old. His father was four times his size. All he could do was watch the scene unfold just as it always did. _

"_How dare you talk back to me, you little brat?" he shouted, hovering over her. "You threw it away, didn't you?"_

"_No," she cried, looking up at him with her turquoise eyes. She silently begged him to believe her, but they both knew that he wouldn't. He wasn't sober enough. "I swear, father. I put the bag exactly where you…"_

"_If you had, it'd be there!" He reached forward and picked her up by her hair. "You good for nothing piece of shit. I knew I couldn't count on you to do this one simple favor for me. You're too stupid. Both of my children are too stupid!" _

_Reno felt like saying something in his defense. He couldn't have been that stupid. He had been the smartest person in his kindergarten class. They'd even moved him up to first grade before everybody else his age. But even at five, it seemed like a stupid argument to use against a drunk man, so he just bit his tongue and took the verbal abuse. At least it wasn't his turn to get hit… yet._

"_I'm sorry," she cried, holding her arms up as his hand came towards her face again._

"_Sorry? What the hell do I care if you are sorry? What good does it do me? None!" _

_Reno couldn't take it anymore. His sister may be six years older than he was, but he still couldn't stand not being able to protect her. "Stop it!" he shouted helplessly, running forward. He had no idea what he was going to do now that he had his father's attention, but he was just glad that it was no longer on his sister. "Leave her alone. She didn't do anything wrong."_

"_Reno!" She tried to pull her behind him but he shrugged out of her grip. _

"_You little rat!" his father shouted, reaching forward and picking him up by the collar. "You need to learn to mind your own damned business!" Then, just as if he were a wadded up piece of paper, he tossed him aside. He landed on the ground quite nicely. Reno had a way of always landing on his feet, at least when he was a kid. It helped that the coffee table wasn't there anymore to get in his way. _

_He noticed that his father was heading towards his sister again. Feeling desparate, he raced after him and kicked him as hard as he could in the back of the knee. It was a smart and stupid move. His father had injured his knee not too long ago, so the foot to it brought him down. But, that meant that his anger would be even greater and now all of it would be directed at Reno. This certainly was going to be the worst beating of his life. He hoped he'd live through it._

--

Reno found that waking up after being hit in the head was the third worst way to do it. The second would be waking up with a hangover. The third would be waking up with a woman who now had designs on marriage because you'd taken a silly thing like her virginity. He'd tried to sit up to fast which caused a very light-headed sensation and a throbbing pain to take over all at once.

"Son of a bitch," he groaned, lying back down. It occurred to him now that Tifa was not in the bed with him. He sat up too quickly again. He didn't care about the sensation it created. His eyes immediately flew to where the headboard had been and then to where the headboard now lay. Right at the feet of a knocked out trooper. "Well, look at that," he said, standing up.

"Sir, we really tried to get around releasing her," said a trooper who was standing at the door.

"You released her?" he asked dangerously.

"She was threatening to kill you, sir. She had her foot on your throat."

Reno's hand shot up to it. "It feels fine!" he seethed. "You shouldn't have acted without orders! Now, which way did she go?" The trooper didn't answer. "I asked you a question. Which way did she go… with… That whore took my stuff!" he shouted. His wallet, his PHS… they were missing. She left the goggles, but if she'd taken them, that'd have just been ridiculous. "You didn't see which way she went?"

"No sir," the trooper answered.

"Then you are fired!" To make this point clear, he walked up to the trooper, took his own gun from its holster and shot him in the chest. This was all done very quickly and when it was over, all those present just stared in horror and awe. There was a reason Reno was known as the most proficient Turk. He had a way of doing the job and when he chose to use his skills to their fullest potential, there was no stopping him.

"Come on, we've got a lot of ground to cover," he gritted out to the remaining troopers. He had twenty-four hours to find her before his chopper arrived.

"What about my bed?" asked the owner of the inn.

Reno had almost missed the fact that he was there entirely. "What about it?"

"Who's going to pay for the damages?"

"Who else?" Reno asked as though it were common knowledge. "Rufus Shinra."

--

"I'm sorry for this," Tifa said quietly. "I just had nowhere else to go. You are the only person I know in this town. If there were any other way, I'd have done it."

"No," Priscilla said, waving her hand in front of her. "I'm glad that you came to me. I still owe you and your friends a lot for saving my life." In the three and a half years that had passed since Tifa had last seen this girl, she'd grown up tremendously. She was about fifteen years old now, by the looks of it, and was probably going to be quite a catch for the young men of Junon. Right now, though, she was Tifa's only hope. "Have you already called your friend?" she asked.

"Yes, but I couldn't get through."

"Well, you'll just have to remember to keep trying," Priscilla said, grabbing her whistle. She walked over to her closet and pulled open the door. Inside was a chart of all the ship times.

"Why do you keep that?" Tifa asked.

"My boyfriend is a sailor. It's so I can keep track of when he's going to be back. Anyway, it seems the next ship doesn't push out until noon tomorrow. You are welcome to hide here if you want. I won't know how to explain myself if they find you."

"I don't want to get you into any trouble," Tifa said.

"It wouldn't be hard to slip out the back."

"Yes, but the Shin-Ra have a way of surrounding a place before they go into it. I'll just have to find another place to hide until tomorrow afternoon. Priscilla, could you meet me at the beach tomorrow at around eleven. I know I'll be able to get a ticket on one of the ships. I stole one of the Turk's wallet."

That admission seemed to frighten the girl. "It's the Turks that are after you? I thought it was just the troopers. That changes everything. There are no places in Junon suitable enough to stay hidden. You'd be better off here." That said, she took Tifa's hand and led her to the hallway. She began knocking on the wall until it made a hollow sound in return. "Here it is," she said, peeling back the wall paper and sliding open a partition in the wall. "There should be enough room in there. There should be sheets, a blanket and a pillow. I made it like this a few years ago when I thought that monster was going to attack Junon. All right, so in you go. I'll come get you when I think it's safe and we'll have dinner or something."

Tifa didn't know what to say. She quickly slipped into the wall and watched as Priscilla closed it and engulfed her in darkness. It couldn't have happened any sooner. A loud knock on the door brought a small squeal of surprise to the young girl's lips, but she recovered and went to answer it.

"May I help you?"

"Get out of my way." Tifa knew that voice to be Reno's. "You three, search the rooms down here. You two, search upstairs."

"What's the meaning of this?" Priscilla asked.

"Don't fret, little girl," Reno said in a voice that didn't sound like his. It was mean and full of anger. "We're just checking to make sure that you aren't harboring something that belongs to me."


	5. Long Fall

**Tengoko: Sorry a thousand times for taking so long. I know I keep promising speedy updates. Well, here's the next chapter. A little longer than usual to make up for my long hiatus. Please enjoy, and please review. Thank you.**

**Chapter 5: Long Fall**

They hadn't remained very long. After searching the house and finding nothing, they left quickly and went on with their search elsewhere. Convinced that they would not be coming back again, Priscilla went ahead and released Tifa from her hiding spot and, careful to close all the blinds and shutters, they sat at the kitchen table with two hot cups of tea and some cookies.

"You really don't know the trouble you'll be in if they found me here," Tifa said, staring down at her reflection in the brown liquid.

"I really do, Tifa. And I'd say that the punishment is the least I could do. Look at it as a thank you to your boyfriend for saving my life."

Tifa swallowed hard. She was tempted to tell her that Cloud was no longer her boyfriend, but Priscilla looked so happy when she said it. A simple change of subject would have to suffice. "So, tell me all about your boyfriend."

"Oh, he's absolutely boring," she said with a grin. "Nothing interesting whatsoever to tell you about him. Oh! Well… there is one thing. He wants me to marry him. But, other than that, nothing worth telling." She took a bite of a cookie, and, with her mouth still full, asked, "tell me what you've been up to. I'll bet that's a more exciting story."

Tifa couldn't help but laugh. How this girl could be so awed by here was a mystery. "Nothing interesting with me either. Most things that have been happening lately have been happening to other people. I'm just on the sidelines most times."

"Nonsense," Priscilla snorted. "If that were true, the Turks would not be trying to find you."

"I guess that's true," Tifa agreed, finally taking a sip of tea.

"Do you like it?" the young girl asked, leaning forward.

Tifa nodded and then looked at the cup. "What kind of tea is this? It has an unusual flavor. Good… but unusual."

Priscilla smiled. "It's pomegranate. My favorite fruit. You know, it's the fruit of the underworld. It's how the god Hades was able to trick his love, Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, into remaining in the underworld with him. For every seed she ate, she had to stay a month in the underworld."

Tifa shook her head. "No… I didn't know that. Did she eventually grow to love Hades?"

"No. According to myth, she much preferred Adonis, but he fancied Aphrodite. Then again, who didn't fancy Aphrodite?"

"She doesn't seem to have a happy story," Tifa said sadly.

"No. But, then again, not everybody gets happiness."

Tifa nodded slowly. She wasn't sure what was worst. That the words Priscilla had spoken were the truest words she'd ever heard, or that a girl Priscilla's age had spoken them. "It's really a shame. I wouldn't wish unhappiness on anybody."

Priscilla shrugged. "It's not something that is just given to you. Those people who don't feel happy make it so. You are in control of how you feel. The mind is a powerful thing. I find it strange how quick we forget that. How easily we let our emotions and our fears rule us. What people don't remember is that we can always be in control." She poured herself more tea. "You know, some people are able to tap into the power of their brain so much that they can actually move objects from one end of the room to another. Can you imagine that? And if that's possible, why can't people understand that we don't feel a certain way without letting ourselves do it. If you want to be happy, then be happy. If you want to feel sad… then, allow it."

Tifa closed her eyes. So, what this girl was saying was that if she wanted to get over Cloud, all she had to do was want to do it? She was beginning to think Priscilla wasn't so wise at all. Sure, her argument sounded logical… but emotions just weren't something you could turn off. The mind and the heart were two separate things. And right now, Tifa's heart was still telling her that she was unhappy.

Next Morning, 9:42 a.m.

"Tell me again how she was able to get away from you?" Rufus asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed, his eyes still observing the damage that the woman had caused. "Nevermind, Reno. It's not important how she got away. What matters is that she did get away." He stood up and walked up to the slightly taller man. "I gave you this mission with the hopes that you'd be able to get it done. I guess I put a little too much faith in your abilities."

"The day is not through, yet, sir," Reno seethed, his temper at it's boiling point. "I _will_ find her before the sun sets. I swear to you."

Rufus shook his head. "I'm beginning to think that all of your promises are empty, Reno. What good is a Turk who can't do their job?" He knew he was treading dangerous grounds. Rufus knew Reno better than he'd care to admit. He knew exactly how far he could push the fiery red-head before he would snap. He'd just placed his toe outside of that line.

"When have I ever failed to carry out any of my promises?" he challenged.

"I do recall you telling me that you would take care of Cloud," he answered, not backing down.

"Sephiroth couldn't even do that! You expect me to do what the greatest SOLDIER of all time could not? What do you think I am?" He took a deep breath. "Besides, Cloud is irrelevant now. I haven't seen or heard from him in months. He's vanished."

"Maybe not so vanished," Rufus said ominously. "Last time we had Tifa in our grasps, Cloud came. If not for Valentine, Highwind, and yourself, he would have remained in our headquarters. Perhaps if we have her again, he'll come running to save her. Maybe he'll even bring Wallace along. He and the girl were close."

Reno's eyes narrowed. "So that's what this is about? She's to be bait? Cloud is the real target?"

"Not so much Cloud. I'm after something bigger. Wallace."

"Barret? That oaf of a man? What interest could you possibly have in him?" Reno asked, turning towards the window.

"Some reactors have been attacked recently. Never mind that because of them, we've created hundreds of jobs. They seem to think that I'm in the habit of repeating my mistakes. It seems that he's in the habit of repeating his. I have a strong feeling that AVALANCHE is to blame for all of this. Wallace, being the leader of this group, must be found and brought into for questioning."

"And you are hoping to get to him through Tifa? How can we even be sure Cloud is with Barret? He was always a loner. Why would he have gone back to fighting with him?"

Rufus smiled slowly. "Because he has nowhere else to go."

Reno nodded, the pieces finally coming together now. "I understand. And, as I told you before, I will find Tifa. There are only three ways to get out of Junon. The east side of town has a perimeter set up. She can't simply walk out of here. The landing strip has guards all around it so an airship is out of the question. As for leaving by ship, that is also impossible. I have ordered a halt on all outgoing vessels."

"Good," Rufus said, turning to leave. "By the way, I will be taking the chopper. You don't have what you were supposed to transport, so I don't see any reason for you to be needing it. I will leave the buggy here for you. When you do find her, give me a call."

10:35 a.m.

"Oh dear," Priscilla said as she and a heavily cloaked Tifa walked down to the beach together. "They aren't playing around, are they?" she asked, commenting on the heightened number of Shin-Ra troopers running about. "What did you do to make them so mad?"

"I have no idea," she said honestly, sure not to get too far away from her.

"It's all right. This ordeal is almost over for you." She walked to the edge of the water and took out her whistle. "You do remember how this works, right?" she asked, putting it to her lips. Swim out to the tower, but careful not to get too close to it. When I blow my whistle, the dolphin will jump up and let you grab hold of the tower. Then you just climb."

Tifa nodded and began walking out into the water. It was still clean. That was a surprise, to be honest. Junon had seriously gone down in the dumps. Not much could be said about its upkeep. The only thing left now was for the pollution to take hold of the water around it. It was only a matter of time.

With that not-so-merry though in her head, she waded in the water and waited for the dolphin to swim up to her. She saw the fin pass her and smiled as she caught hold of it. She'd always liked dolphins. In fact, one of her signature moves was dedicated to the beautiful animal.

The whistle blue, and the dolphin sprung into the air. Tifa held on with one arm and grabbed the tower with the other. She had forgotten how much it hurt to have your body nearly obey the laws of gravity by falling, but your arm stopping you. The jerking motion left her shoulder feeling sore. Still, she began to climb.

10:39 a.m.

"What the hell does she think she's doing!?" Reno shouted, running out onto the beach with four troopers running behind him. The girl standing at the shore wheeled around, obviously shocked to see them. He didn't care much that she was there; hadn't even thought that she might somehow be related to what was going on at the tower. "Get in after her!"

"But sir, the electric current in the water would…"

"I don't want your excuses. There has to be a way to get there. She got there, didn't she?" he asked, motioning up towards her. "Are you to be out done by a woman?"

"Have you seen what that woman can do?" Priscilla asked, letting the whistle fall against her chest. "She's nothing short of incredible. She's a hero, in my opinion."

Reno finally regarded the girl, and asked, "I remember you," he said, his voice icy and sharp. "So… it seems that she was hiding something that didn't belong to her." He snapped loudly. "Arrest her for aiding a wanted fugitive of Shin-Ra."

"Yes sir!" the all said at once while two of them converged on the girl and handcuffed her.

"What do you want to do about her?" one of them asked, standing next to Reno and shielding his eyes to look up at Tifa who was nearing the top.

"I haven't decided yet," he answered, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. "TIFA!" he called.

10:41 a.m.

Tifa had not been expecting to be found. Not by him. When she heard her name, she turned very quickly, her hands, still wet from the water, slipping from the tower. A plummeting feeling took hold of her stomach, and suddenly there was nothing to hold onto to keep her from falling. Her legs left the tower as she clawed the air.

"TIFA!" she heard again just before hitting the water.

It felt as though she'd just landed on concrete. The pain surged through her body in seconds and then she lost consciousness.

Across the shore, Reno was already tearing off his jacket and running into the water. He wasn't much of a swimmer, but he certainly wasted no time in getting to where Tifa had fallen. With a deep breath, he went under, his hands searching for her, his eyes stinging from being open. Few seconds passed, and he needed to come up for air. He pushed his lungs for more air. Training had proven he could hold his breath for near on three minutes. He wasn't even near that time yet. What the hell was wrong with him? Was it because he'd been running before and his lungs were just needing air? Whatever the reason, he went back up to the surface and drank in the air greedily.

"Tifa!?"

He went under again. He was beginning to lose hope that he would find her this way. Going back up to surface, he ran his hand through his wet hair and quickly searched his mind for a plan. He was running out of time. Tifa was drowning at that very moment.

Then, quite luckly, the dolphin surfaced with Tifa on its back. Reno felt his stomach do a flip. Without another though, he reached out for her and began swimming back towards shore. His muscles ached and his lungs were burning. He didn't care. Tifa wasn't breathing. Why did situations like this always keep getting worse?

"You need to give her CPR," Priscilla said, struggling against one of the guards.

"What?"

"Just do it!" she screamed, tears streaming her cheeks in fear that her friend was going to die right in front of her.

Reno tilted Tifa's head back and leaned down, his lips going over hers. He breathed into her, trying to get her to start breathing on her own. A few breaths, and nothing. Desperate now for a solution, Reno sat her up and pounded on her back as hard as he could. She coughed and water spurted out of her mouth and down her chin. He knew he'd probably leave a bruise, but from where he was standing, it was well worth it.

"Tifa, are you all right?" Priscilla cried.

Tifa's burgundy eyes looked at the young girl and then it seemed to register. "Let her go," she said weakly, trying to stand up. Reno's hand shot out and pulled her back down onto the sand. "Let her go. She has nothing to do with this!"

"I think you know how big a lie that is, Tifa. You know Rufus Shinra won't see it that way."

"To hell with Rufus Shinra!" she screamed, struggling to get up.

With a bit of a growl, Reno grabbed her wrists, and with surprising strength, pinned her down to the sand. He vaguely heard the young girl screaming at him to leave her alone, but all he could focus on was his anger. She'd nearly cost him his good standing with the president; something he'd had to work hard on doing since the little fiasco at headquarters a few months ago.

"Bring me some handcuffs," he snapped at one of the troopers. He rolled her onto her side and clasped the cold metal onto her wrists. He ignored Tifa's whimper of pain. He'd nearly forgotten that the fall she'd taken must have hurt quite a bit. Hitting her couldn't have helped in that respect. "How much do you hurt?"

"Me?" she asked, surprised that he cared enough to ask. "Loads. But, I've had worst," she said through her teeth.

He chuckled. "I don't doubt it, babe. Come on. We're going back to the hotel. I know I will regret this later, but I'm going to let your rest for the night before we continue on." He motioned for his guards to come and hold her for him. Then, he stood up, his face changing rapidly to the look of a hardened Turk. His eyes fell upon Priscilla. His expression faltered, though, when she gave him a look of fear. Those eyes… his sister used to always have those eyes.

"Put the girl under house arrest. She's not to be freed until long after we are gone. Do you understand? No calls, no letters, no correspondence of any kind."

"Yes sir," said the troopers holding her.

"Come, Tifa," Reno said, walking back towards the town. "I'm sure the inn keeper has a few choice words for you. I really don't want to miss this."


	6. Missing People and a Buggy Ride

**Tengoko: Updated a little quicker than usual this time. Maybe this is a good sign. Thank you to everybody who is reviewing. You all really have motivated me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was pretty fun to write. Please review.**

**Chapter 6: Missing People and a Buggy Ride  
**

**--**

"How long will it take to get to Midgar by buggy?" Tifa asked, her eyes still closed. She had been trying to talk herself into going back to sleep. It was quite amazing how quickly she'd done it the night before. After Reno had gotten her back to the inn, and after the owner of the inn yelled at her a bit, she was set down on the bed and was out cold for the next nine hours.

Reno sat on the edge of the bed and slipped his shoes on. "I don't know," he replied, pulling the laces. "Few days. I'll have to try to find a way around the Mythril Mines. It's impossible to drive through there. May have to just abandon the buggy at that point and get some chocobos. So, maybe a week. Two at the most."

"So… that's gives me plenty of time," she said to herself.

"To do what?" he asked, rising and grabbing his belt that he'd left hanging on the end of the bed. He began hooking it through his belt loops and turned towards her. "To escape? Oh, babe, that won't be happening. Now that I know that you'll stoop down lower than low to escape, I won't give you the opportunity."

"Are we leaving today?" she asked, lifting her head a bit and cracking her eyes open.

"Yeah. I'm getting sick of Junon. I've never been good at staying in one place for long. Unless that place has bars that are open twenty-four hours a day. Alas, Junon lacks in that respect."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Yeah… I know that you can stay at a bar until dooms day. You used to spend all your gil at mine. That is, until Cid kicked you out that one time. You haven't come back since then."

"It wasn't that spectacular. My patronage wasn't so committed. I have another bar that I'm loyal to. Besides that, Highwind has a way of making a point. I wasn't welcome there."

"I never kicked you out," Tifa defended.

"Yes, but you didn't stop that bastard from doing it either." He waved his hand. "It doesn't matter," he said. "Like I said, it wasn't the end of the world for me. He got to punch me. I'm sure he was happy about that. And, as I said before, I have other bars that I go to. It wasn't such a big deal."

"In Cid's defense, you had just told him that all of the people from Rocket Town were inbred slum scum."

Reno, who had been putting on his black blazer, froze and stared at her as though he didn't believe what she'd just said. Then, the corner of his mouth crept upwards and he adjusted his jacket and chuckled. "I said that? Wow… even when I'm drunk I'm witty."

"If that's what you call witty," she said through her teeth.

"Well, I guess I deserved to be punched then. But, you have to admit, I'm on to something there. There's something funny about the people from Rocket Town."

She rolled her eyes and pulled on her hands a bit. She was handcuffed to the bed again. "Reno, I have to go to the bathroom. And when are you going to let me shower. If you would recall, I fell into the Junon harbor. I'd really like to clean myself off now."

He shrugged. "Should have thought about that before you fell into the harbor," he said, completing his morning ritual by sliding his goggles onto his head and sticking an unlit cigarette into his mouth. "I'm giving you five minutes, babe," he said, walking up to her and reaching into his pocket for the keys.

Tifa, once again surprised by him, sat up slowly as though she were waiting for him to pounce. When he only took a step back to give her more room to stand up, she bolted towards the bathroom before she could change his mind and hopped straight into the shower. It occurred to her only after she was about to turn the water on that it might help to get her clothes off first.

Meanwhile, Reno sat on the bed where she'd just been laying and flicked on the television. There was never anything on these days. All there was to watch was the news, and since Reno knew pretty much all that was going on, and all that supposedly _wasn't_ going on, he really saw no point in watching it. But, he did need the noise, so, he just picked a random channel and closed his eyes.

Four minutes passed. He was about to get up to tell Tifa she had one minute left when he heard the news reporter say, "and more on the case of the missing person, Tifa Lockheart. This is day three of the search. Tifa Lockheart was last seen in Costa del Sol. Eye witnesses claim that they saw men in suits carrying the twenty-three year old woman away from her resort home. That has led many, including her friend, the crowned princess of Wutai, Yuffie Kisaragi, to believe that it was the Turks, Rufus Shinra's elite covert police, that are to blame for her disappearance. Rufus Shinra denies these claims and tells us that he hopes that Tifa Lockheart is found and is unharmed. We'll keep you updated."

Reno shut off the television and laughed to himself. "Well, if Strife is anywhere near a television, then your plan is working perfectly, isn't it Rufus? Too bad this makes my job even harder you schmuck." He crossed the room quickly and knocked on the door. "Time's up, Tifa. It's time to go."

--

"Why are we in such a hurry?" Tifa asked as the red head shoved her into the buggy.

"Because, I told you, I'm sick of Junon." He looked up and shouted, "I want two troopers in the back with us." He threw the keys up in the air once before catching them and closing her door. He walked around the buggy and slid into the driver's seat with a frown. "I hate these things. They smell like gas and the noise gives me headaches."

He started it up, and sure enough, the ignition came to life with a very loud whir. "It starts," he groaned, leaning back in the seat and adjusting the rear view mirror. "We ready?" he asked nobody in particular. The two troopers in the back nodded. Tifa didn't say or do anything.

After about an hour of driving, Reno turned a bit and asked one of the troopers to pass him a box. "By the way, doll, I want you to wear this from now on."

Tifa took it from him and removed the lid. "A wig?" she asked, lifting the blonde mass of hair and staring at it with disgust. "Why do I have to wear a wig?"

"Because, I don't want people to recognize you. Occasionally, we are going to have to make some stops because, well, I don't know about you, but I'm against pissing into a water bottle or on the side of the road. I'd imagine it's even more uncomfortable for you than it is for me."

She looked confused. "Stops? Where? There isn't a city between Junon and Fort Condor, and isn't Fort Condor a few days from here?"

"Three days… two if I drive real fast," he said. "But, you do forget, there are places that are available to employees of Shin-Ra that you may not know about. Not even your SOLDIER first class boyfriend would know about them. Only Turks and the president."

"Would you please not call him my boyfriend? In fact, don't even mention him to me." She threw the wig to the floor and crossed her arms. "I'm not wearing that dead animal on my head."

"We'll see," was all he said.

--

Six hours into the trip, Reno made a strange turn that headed into the mountains. Tifa knew that a buggy could only go up so far on such terrain, so she wondered what the hell he was doing. The troopers in the back seemed unconcerned by this and continued to stare out the window daydreaming.

"Where are we going?" Tifa asked.

"I'm hungry, tired, and I need to stretch my legs. There is a man who lives out here. A Turk. He's about seventy-five years old. His name is Neco."

"Strange name," she said off-handedly.

"Well… so is Tifa," he said in the same tone. "Anyway, you can imagine that a seventy something year old man wouldn't be much use to our organization. But, he didn't want to just call it a day. He provides his service still by giving other Turks a place to rest should their missions take them passed this way. We keep this location secret. You won't find it on any map."

They finally appeared to be on some sort of trail. The sun was starting its descent and painting the sky with oranges and violets. The buggy pulled over and Tifa saw a very elaborate house made entirely of wood and a long stone path that winded towards the front door.

She stepped out and turned towards the west. The wind was cool. That was to be expected at such an altitude. She wondered how long they would be staying here. The stars sure would look beautiful in such a place. Away from the rest of the world. This Neco man sure made out. She became lost in her thoughts. She wondered if Yuffie was looking for her, if Vincent and Cid were at her side. She hoped that they would soon come and end this ordeal for her. She really did not want to be back in the hands of Rufus Shinra.

"Hey," Reno said, walking up behind her. "What are you staring at?"

"The sky," she told him honestly. "Haven't you ever done that? Just stopped and looked at the sky?"

"Doll, there was only one time I stopped to look at the sky and that was because there was a large meteor falling towards us. I'm not one for the transcendental side of life." He stepped up beside her and followed her gaze to the setting sun. "Some cultures, particularly the Wutai people, believe that when we die, we all board ships and travel to fields in the west. We know better, though, don't we?" he asked. "We know that we all return to the life stream." Reno looked down and chuckled. "It takes all the fun out of life if you know what's going to happen to you when it's over, doesn't it? What's the point in living a good life, of not giving into temptation when there's no incentive?"

Tifa didn't answer. She just brushed a strand of hair out of her face and closed her eyes.

"Listen to me jabbering on about nothing. Come. Neco does not like to be kept waiting." Reno reached out and took her by the wrist. His hands were warm. Come to think of it, Reno was always warm. "Tifa…" he said softly. "It's almost over."

She turned and let him lead her into the house. The two troopers were already fighting over the bathroom while an older man stood by with a pipe in his mouth and his eyes locked on Tifa. "Enough," Reno shouted. The two men froze. "Tifa uses the restroom first. Then me, then you two can fight over it."

"Yes sir," they both said, snapping to attention.

Tifa was confused. Reno was letting her go first? Before him? What the hell?

"You do have to go, don't you?" Reno asked, nudging her towards the bathroom.

"Yes," she said, walking towards it slowly. The troopers eyed her but did their best not to give away their thoughts, though she could see how one of them had locked his jaw in frustration.

The minute she closed the door, she heard voices. It must have been the older man speaking, for it was a voice she hadn't heard before. Rough and scratchy yet deep and pleasant at the same time. "Is she the one you were talking about? What would Rufus Shinra possibly want with a woman like that? She doesn't look like she would harm a fly."

Reno chuckled. "You have no idea," he said.

"She is quite beautiful. Perhaps that's what this is about. Rufus always did like brunettes."

"That's not what this is about," Reno snapped.

"Perhaps," the man said. "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour. You boys clean up and get comfortable. See to the lady's comfort, Reno. Even if she is a prisoner, she is still a woman, and in my house, women are treated as a woman should be treated. Meaning she is not to be handcuffed, tied up, or even spoken to in an ungentlemanly fashion."

She heard Reno laugh before saying, "whatever you say, old man."


	7. Best Behavior

**Tengoko: Sorry. This summer has been pretty busy. I can't believe school is about to start again (in about five hours). Well, here's the next installment. Sorry for making you guys wait so long. :( Thanks you to everybody who reviewed, and please feel free to review this chapter. Thanks! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: Best Behavior**

--

She couldn't quite wrap her head around it. There was a retired Turk living out in the middle of nowhere. A _retired_ Turk. Wasn't it Reno who had told her that one simply does not retire from the Turks, or something like that? They knew too much about the secret dealings of the president to be trusted outside of the company. Yet here she stood in the house of a man who contradicted that very idea.

She stood in what she supposed was the den. There were no light fixtures to speak of, only a floor lamp that stood in the corner. The light bulb filled the room with a warm amber light which reflected off the floor to ceiling windows. Those in turn looked out at the mountains that were painted with the moonlight. The stars were as beautiful as she thought they would be and she decided that this was the best room that she'd ever been in.

She sat down on the leather couch and looked up at the sky light. This room just kept getting better and better. She imagined for a second that this was her home, that she lived here instead of in Edge and that she was waiting for her husband to get home. A girl could dream.

"Here you are," a rough voice said. She jumped and snapped her head towards the door way where Neco stood. He was very tall, taller than she'd have imagined a seventy-something year old man to be. For some reason, when Reno had told her that, she envisioned a grandfatherly old codger who sat on a rocking chair and smoked a pipe. This man looked like he could have passed for fifty, maybe younger. His build reminded her of Rude's, but he did have longer hair- silver and braided down his back. The years had been kind to Neco. He barely had wrinkles on his face not counting the ones around his eyes, but the mako-infused blue detracted from that.

"I'm sorry that I wandered off," she told him. "I just thought your house was so beautiful. I wanted to look around before dinner."

"No reason to apologize to me, my dear," he said as he walked in, seemingly filling the room with his stature. He sat in the arm chair perpendicular to the couch and looked around. "This is my study. I really haven't had any reason to come in here in these last few years. I'd forgotten how peaceful it is in here."

"Well, you're retired. Why would you need to work?" she asked.

His smile was surprising too. His teeth were amazingly straight and very white. She was beginning to think he wasn't seventy years old at all. "I'm not retired. Where'd you hear that? I know Reno wouldn't have told you that."

She tried to remember back to the conversation. _You can imagine that a seventy something year old man wouldn't be much use to our organization. But, he didn't want to just call it a day._ She smiled. "Oh… right. I guess I forgot." She looked at him again and said, "you don't look like you're in your seventies."

He nodded. "I get that a lot. The truth is, my dear, I have no idea how old I am. Never knew who my parents were and I can't remember most of my childhood. Basically, when I decided to join SOLDIER I just picked an age and stuck with it. I could have been a nine-year old claiming to be eighteen. It was believable back then, especially since I was always so tall. There was a war so they weren't very particular about who joined and I had zero accountability. Pretty much, all I had to do was say I looked young for my age. It wasn't necessarily a lie. It could have been true." He grinned. "Of course, that means I'm anywhere from my mid-sixties to my mid-seventies."

"You don't look old enough to be in your sixties either," she stated.

"Well… that I may have to argue with. There is no way I could have been younger. I've been with Shin-Ra for over fifty years. And, I'm guessing I was older than nine when I enlisted. I was probably thirteen. So, that puts me at about sixty-five at the youngest."

She shrugged. "It's just an opinion. Fifty years, though? Wow. That's almost twice my age." She turned away from him and examined the photographs he had on the wall. "Who's she?" she asked, pointing to a picture of a beautiful strawberry-blonde woman.

Neco leaned forward to see what she was looking at. "Oh… that's Diandra. She's my wife. That was her about thirty years ago. She's still just as beautiful."

"Is she here?" Tifa asked, praying there'd be another source of estrogen in the house. She had a feeling she and Diandra would get along famously.

"No. I usually encourage her to go to my son's house when I know I'll be hosting visitors. Not that I don't trust the Turks, and not that I don't trust Reno… I just don't trust the troopers that they bring along. If you think _I _look young for my age, you should see her." He seemed to beam with pride just talking about her. Tifa wondered if any man would ever appear that way when talking about her. "I shouldn't worry about Reno though. He's always been a gentleman to Diandra. If it were just him, she'd have stayed. She loves that boy as though he were our own son."

"I couldn't imagine why," Tifa scowled, sinking into the couch in a pout. "He's the worst type of person there is!"

Neco nodded slowly. "And… what are you basing this on? That he kidnapped you?" He frowned. "Being a Turk isn't easy. Sometimes we have to do things that we don't want to do. But, we have no choice. Reno's an efficient Turk. Maybe one of the best in his own way. He does things differently, but he gets them done. But nobody questions the job more than he does. That's what keeps him from moving up. He's gone about as high as he's going to go. Not that being second in command is anything to scoff at."

Tifa blinked in surprise. "Reno questions his job?"

Neco nodded again, this time more fervently. "When he first became a Turk he was young and reckless. He didn't care what he did as long as it put gil in his pocket and meant that he had a warm bed to sleep in every night. It's been eleven years since he joined. He's grown a lot since then. He's got the strangest code of ethics I've ever seen, but as a Turk… as an active Turk, one can't afford to have any code of ethics. That's what makes you question things. And questioning things isn't one of the job requirements."

"How can anybody, knowing that, want to be a Turk? You don't have a mind of your own, you can't think for yourself and you essentially become the president's personal puppet. What's so appealing about it?"

He shrugged. "It's better than being poor."

"Ah, you found her," Reno said as he walked into the room. "I was afraid I was going to have to fire up the buggy and drive along the mountains to look for her. Thanks for not running away, doll." He punctuated his gratitude with a wink. "Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are still fighting over your bathroom."

Neco rolled his eyes and got up. "I guess I'll have to go settle this," he said.

Reno smiled as the older man left and then sat down where he'd been sitting. He said nothing for a full minute as his eyes took in the room. They settled on Tifa and he couldn't seem to look away after that.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped.

"You," he told her truthfully. "You seem… oddly at home here. I thought I'd have to constantly have to get after you to behave."

Tifa didn't know how to respond to that. She did know, though, that she didn't like being stared at with his scrutinizing eyes. It was like she was a statue and he was an art appraiser trying to figure out how much she was worth. She wasn't used to that feeling and, in truth, she wasn't a fan of the emotions that coursed through her when his eyes were on her.

"It's not Neco's fault that I was yanked from my perfectly comfortable life by a brute like you. I actually like him. There's no reason for me to act like a jerk just because you're here and I hate _you_."

"You really know how to hurt a guy, Tifa," he chuckled, putting his hand over his chest in mock pain. He stood up and walked closer to her, leaning over her as he pressed his hands into the couch. "Just keep being on your best behavior. I would hate to have to put you back in your place."

She wasn't sure how she felt about being so close to him. Her eyes watched him warily as she realized he'd effectively just trapped her on the couch. If she was lucky, Neco would come in soon, but she heard in the distance the sound of shouting, so she knew he was still dealing with the troopers. She laughed off her nervousness. "Like you could put me back in my place. You can't handle me and you know it."

"Would you be willing to give me the opportunity to try?" he asked in a tone she wasn't familiar with. He could tell he'd startled her by the way her burgundy eyes looked at him as though trying to find the punch line. That innocent stare drove him crazy, and he suddenly lifted her chin up to angle her face towards his, and his lips covered hers.

Tifa gasped before he captured her mouth, her eyes widened. Her initial instinct was a loud voice in her head telling her to kick his ass. But she gave into how good the kiss felt, and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer. She heard Reno moan and the kiss intensified. She cursed mentally when he tore his lips from hers, but a smile formed when she realized that it was only so he could kiss the nape of her neck.

He had one knee on the couch now. Tifa let her arms fall around his waist to pull him closer. Reno stopped kissing her and put one hand behind her head. Now he was staring at her behind his heavy-lidded turquoise eyes. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she'd never felt so… hot. A lame word to describe the situation, but fitting.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked breathlessly.

His eyes darted from her eyes to her lips. He was struggling with himself; that was easy to see. "Because," he said. It sounded as though it hurt him to say. "I have to."

He stood up and adjusted his coat. She didn't understand him. She wasn't sure if she should take the rejection personally or to jump for joy that he had the sense to end it before she got carried away. _Dear God, am I really so desperate? _There were so many things that she wanted to say to him now. But, when she opened her mouth to speak, all she could manage was, "oh."

"Tifa… I…"

"Is everything all right in here?" Neco asked as he stepped through the door.

Reno cleared his throat and stood a little straighter. "Everything's cool," he said, raking his hand through his hair. "Is dinner ready yet, yo? I'm starving."

"Yes. I was just coming to tell you that it was served." He looked at both of them before turning around and vanishing again. His presence was so commanding that Tifa only now realized she'd been holding her breath waiting for him to speak to her.

"Come on, babe. He doesn't like to wait on dinner any longer than he has to." He held his hand out to help her stand up and laughed when she slapped it away. "Gods, Tifa. I know you're a big girl and can stand up on your own, but must you be such a baby about it?"

"Shut up," she snapped, angry at herself now for having let the kiss go as far as it did. She followed Neco's example and left the room. She felt like groaning when she reached the dining room. They were having spaghetti. The last time Tifa had eaten spaghetti was when she was around thirteen years old. Her father had taken her to an all you can eat Italian restaurant and Tifa wound up proving she could eat seven plates of spaghetti and meatballs. She couldn't hold it down though, and ever since that night of agony that she spent in the restroom, she had never been able to stomach Italian food.

"Is anything wrong?" Neco asked, sensing her reaction.

"No. Everything's fine," she lied, sitting near the head of the table so she would be further away from Reno. The grin he shot at her told her he noticed that she was deliberately putting distance between them, and she was horrified to think that he considered this all one big game.

Dinner went smoothly though. Tifa was able to eat about half of her serving before explaining to Neco that she was on a low-carb diet. He seemed satisfied with that explanation and continued talking to Reno about the politics in Midgar. Tifa only half listened until she heard something that perked her interest. "What did you just say?" she demanded of Reno.

He stared at her as though he'd only now realized she was sitting there. "I'm sorry. Are you talking to me?" he teased.

"Cut the crap and answer my question," she gritted out.

"I said that Shinra is thinking about rebuilding sector seven now. You cut me off before I could finish though. It's speculative right now. Obviously we're more concerned about other areas right now. Seven is going to be tough to rebuild. It will likely be another decade before he even thinks about touching that project."

"Obviously," Neco agreed, after taking a sip of his wine. "I hear the Shin-Ra building has been completed. How far along is everything, by the way?"

"We've been operational for a while now. Tetsui has over seen quite a bit. The president can't even sneeze without Tetsui knowing about it, so you can be assured things are being done accordingly. He still wishes the Turks didn't exist, but Shinra refuses to see eye to eye with him about it."

"Reeve always was annoyingly self-righteous."

Tifa's head snapped at Neco. "Reeve Tetsui happens to be a dear friend of mine. He's kind and good, and how dare you speak about him that way." She didn't wait for him to retort. She stood up and walked to the bedroom he'd shown to her earlier. Voices behind her told her the conversation was being carried on despite her dramatic exit. Good. She hated to think Reno would try to 'put her in her place.'

She crashed on the bed and screamed into her pillow. Why was this happening? Where the hell was Vincent and Yuffie? Were they even looking for her? If Cloud never left, this wouldn't even be an issue. She'd already be rescued and she'd be back in Costa del Sol with Yuffie, getting drunk and having a marvelous time. It just then occurred to her what Reno had told Neco: '_The president can't even sneeze without Tetsui knowing about it.'_ Would that mean that it wouldn't be long before Reeve figured out that it was the Turks who'd taken her?

She sat up and fluffed the pillow. It was as she was positioning herself to lie on her back that she saw Reno at the doorway. He didn't look very happy. "What?" she snapped.

He didn't answer her, but he did walk into the room and stand at the edge of her bed. "I told you to be on your best behavior. That little scene was inappropriate."

"This coming from the man who kills other people for a living."

He frowned. "If you think that's all my job entails, then you have a lot to learn."

"Oh, right. I forgot. You kidnap innocent women, spy on other people, and use methods of intimidation to get what you want. Have I missed anything?"

"Yeah," he said heatedly. "Loads. First of all, don't delude yourself into thinking you're an innocent woman. Nobody's buying it. Second of all… if you knew the good that we were doing you'd… y'know, it doesn't even matter. I don't have to explain myself to you."

"There is no way you could possibly justify being what you are!" she shouted. "You're a villain. The only things that separate you from a common criminal is that suit and diplomatic immunity. You kill, you kidnap, you lie, and you cheat. It doesn't matter what else you do."

"It's a bit more complicated than that, Tifa," he hissed.

"Then tell me, Reno. Why did you become a Turk?"

His expression darkened by degrees. "That's none of your business. I have my own reasons and I don't have to tell them to anybody. Being able to justify what I do is none of your business either. And why should I have to justify it? It doesn't matter in the end. We're all going to the same place. Good, bad… it doesn't matter how I lead my life!"

"Yes it does! Because this life is the only one you have! Do you really want to just throw it away?"

Reno seemed frozen by that question. She hadn't expected it to have the impact that it did. He backed away from her and reached for the light switch. "Go to sleep, Tifa. We're leaving early so you'll need to be well rested." He flicked off the light and then vanished into the hall. Tifa stared at the doorway, not sure what to make of what had just happened. Laying down, she wondered why that, of all things, would be what silenced Reno.


	8. Never Sure

**Tengoko: Back to back update because I feel bad for keeping you all waiting. I just want to take a minute to thank everybody who has reviewed. I've really had some amazing feedback, and I love the critiques. I particularly wish to thank Someone2003, DragonGirl323, loverlyzee, and Laca for your reviews. Thanks for the encouragement, and Someone2003, thanks for making me make sure that there are no plot holes (because I know if I don't catch them, you will ;) ). Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to everybody who has reviewed, and I'll start working on the next chapter now. Enjoy, and please, keep reviewing. Thank you!**

**Chapter 8: Never Sure**

--

_Everything was the same, yet somehow different. It had been six years since he'd walked along this path. He left the slums when he was thirteen and tried his hand at being a thief. It hadn't lasted long. He was caught by a man named Veld who, luckily, didn't throw him into prison and instead told him to make something of himself. That man was now his boss._

_He joined the army when he was fifteen (by this time the age restriction had been reduced). By sixteen he was accepted into SOLDIER. Before he turned seventeen he was first-class. It was when he was seventeen that he met Tseng who was acting on behalf of Veld. He was asked to join the Turks, and Reno, having been waiting for that opportunity since his encounter with Veld, was able to actually draw out the process and make them offer him a hefty salary before accepting the offer. He was the third highest paid Turk, and that was only in his first year of joining. For as hard as they fought for him, it was no wonder he had an ego the size of Midgar._

_He was nineteen now, and making quite a name for himself. He did some brief work in the war with Wutai which ended a year ago. He hadn't participated in combat like Sephiroth or even Tseng had, but he did some behind the scenes work which helped Tseng plan his strategies. He liked to think he helped contribute to the end of the decade long war even if the hero of the entire thing was the legendary, first-class Sephiroth._

_Now he was back where it had all started. The slums where he'd grown up and endured his father's rage and abuse. Where he'd watched his older sister work so hard to keep the peace and get nothing for it. He promised her that one day he'd join SOLDIER and come back for her. It had been three years since he'd done that. He'd have come back sooner if not for his involvement with the war. But, he was here now._

_The house his father lived seemed much smaller than he remembered it. Perhaps his nightmares of the place only served to make it bigger and thus more terrifying. But, looking at it now, he couldn't see what was so frightening about it._

_He didn't bother knocking. The door was never locked anyway because most people in that part of the slums feared making his father angry. He walked in, slamming the door behind him, and looked around. Nothing had changed. Not even the man who was sleeping on the sofa with an almost empty bottle of liquor lying on his chest. He too seemed smaller than he remembered._

_Reno walked over to the coffee table, rolling his eyes to see it was still being supported by books. On top were many glass bottles and dirty dishes. Reno was disgusted by the entire scene. So, without hesitation, he kicked the books that held it up and stepped to the side when everything on top of the table crashed onto the floor, waking the old man._

_He slept with a knife. Reno had forgotten that. But, the shock of his father lunging at him with a blade wore off and his instinct took over. He jumped back to avoid getting slashed, caught his father's wrist, twisted his arm and pushed down on his elbow. This forced his father to release the knife in a howl of pain. Reno was almost tempted to push down harder to break his arm._

"_Sit down," Reno said, pushing him back onto the couch. "All these years of sleeping with that thing, and you still don't know how to use it." Reno knelt down to pick it up and laughed at its feebleness. "It's dull. I'd be surprised if this would have even scratched me. Gods, father… I thought even you knew better."_

"_Reno? What the… what are you doing here? You've gotten tall," he said, looking up at him. "How long has it been?" The question seemed innocent enough, but Reno knew his father. He could see the confusion and the hate in his eyes._

"_Six years," he answered quickly. "Six long years. I'd have preferred it to be longer."_

"_You came back for her, didn't you?" he asked. _

"_I wouldn't very well be here to see you, now would I? She's the only reason I'd come back."_

_His father laughed. "She's dead, Reno."_

_Reno's felt his stomach lurch. "What did you say?" He closed the distance between him and his father and picked him up by his collar. "You're lying!"_

"_Your eyes," his father commented. "You've been exposed to Mako. So, you joined SOLDIER, did you? I'm surprised they took you. You were never worth much and your talents were limited."_

_Reno couldn't believe this. After six years, his father was back to calling him worthless. "Yeah, I joined SOLDIER. I was first class and everything. They promoted me to the Turks. You know who the Turks are, right dad? You know that I can get away with pretty much anything I wanted, so you better tell me what happened to Eleanor, and if she's dead because of you… well, let's just hope it doesn't come to that."_

_It was satisfying seeing the fear on his face. Reno knew that his father just realized that he no longer had power over him. He threw him back down and raked a hand through his hair. "How did she die?" he demanded._

"_I don't know the details," he shouted. "I just know she was killed."_

_Reno blanched. "What? What are you talking about?"_

"_She got married a couple of years ago. Met some guy when he was here meeting with some Shin-Ra people. Don't know much. She didn't really confide in me or anything. Anyway, one day she comes in here shouting like a banshee about how she's tired and wants to leave. She said she was running away to marry that bum and that she wasn't coming back. Moved to North Corel with him 'cause he was some miner or something. Heard on the television that the place burned down not too long ago. Only two survivors, and Eleanor wasn't one of them."_

_He didn't know what to think. If his father was telling the truth, that meant that the company he worked for had killed the only person he ever cared about. He knew that North Corel had been destroyed by Scarlet, a woman in charge of weapons and robotics. He paced the room before putting his hand on the wall to steady himself. His sister was dead. His motivation for being what he was now, his only reason for coming back, for working as hard as he did was gone. He'd never felt so empty. Everything had been in vain. What did he have to work for now? What was the point of doing the things he did if, at the end of the day, he couldn't justify them by saying it was to give his sister a better life? To continue on now, knowing that there was no point, would betray everything she taught him. But, what choice did he have?_

"_I have no reason to be here then," he said._

"_You look like your mother." Reno stopped and looked at him. In every memory he could recall about his father, he never once remembered him saying anything like that. "She had red hair, too. And eyes sort of like yours… the way they looked before you left."_

"_What's your point?" he asked._

"_In a lot of ways, it's good that she died. She'd have hated to see the person I became. Then again, I became this person because she died. Do you think I wake up every morning and am proud of what I am? I never liked waking up knowing I could never love my children because they reminded me of the pain I feel from not having your mother."_

_Reno didn't care. He didn't want to hear his father's sob stories nor stick around while he tried to gain his sympathies. He began walking towards the door._

"_It's good Eleanor is dead. She would have hated to see what you became."_

_He spun back around. "And what have I become!?"_

"_A Turk. Face it, Reno. You're no better than me."_

"_I am better than you," he said derisively. "I almost became you. I should be in prison, but I got lucky. I went and made something of myself. I have a life above the plate. I support myself and have gil to burn. And I came back for her. Don't tell me I'm not better than you!"_

"_What have you done to get that gil in your pocket, son? What shallow deeds have you committed in the line of duty?"_

"_I did them for her!"_

"_Doesn't mean that you should have done them. Like I said, she'd have been ashamed of you."_

"_Shut up!" Reno shouted, reaching for his gun and pointing it at his father's head. "I swear I'll kill you if you don't shut your damned mouth!"_

_His father laughed. "Oh yes. Quite an upstanding gentlemen. Eleanor would have loved to know that you've become a killer."_

"_Yes father. I am a killer. I'm a very good one, too. That's why I'm a Turk. Because I'm so good at it. They begged me to join them. I'm efficient and I always get the job done. And now, I have nothing to stop me from doing that. Eleanor is dead, and now I have nobody to answer to. I no longer have the problem of conscience getting in the way. So, please, by all means, keep on talking." He cocked the gun._

"_I knew you were a mistake. The minute you were born, I knew it. You know, when a dog gives birth to a runt, you know what's done to it? They take it, put it in a burlap sack, and throw it into a river to drown it because it'll never be worth anything. I should have done that to you."_

_Reno smiled. "Yes, you should have. It was a mistake not to get rid of me before I could grow. I am not such a runt anymore father, nor am I so worthless. Take these last moments to regret not throwing me into a river."_

"_You will never amount to anything!" his father shouted, jumping up._

"_I guess you'll never know." He pulled the trigger._

--

Reno hated that dream. He blamed Tifa for having it, and his displeasure carried over to breakfast when she came and sat across from him. She looked at him, not quite sure what to make of their conversation from the night before, but all he could do was scowl. Neco seemed oblivious to the tension and passed Tifa a basket of biscuits. She took two before setting it in the middle of the table.

"What happened to your low-carb diet?" Reno asked testily.

She blushed and looked at Neco. He wasn't listening; he was reading something. "Sometimes I'm tempted to cheat," she said, reaching for the butter. "And Neco is such a marvelous cook."

His name brought him back into the conversation and he set the paper down. "Why thank you, my dear." He smiled before reaching for his cup of coffee. "What time will you be leaving, Reno?"

"As soon as Tifa finishes indulging," he said. "The troopers are already packing the buggy."

"Oh, that reminds me," he turned his attention back to Tifa, "would you like to take a look through my wife's clothing. There's quite a few articles that she no longer wears, and I can't help but notice that you don't have a single change of clothes."

Tifa's face lit up with joy. Reno scowled and took a large bite of a biscuit to keep from insulting her to bring her back down to his level of discontent. She jumped up and Neco led her to one of the back rooms. He got a small hint of fiendish pleasure imagining her in one of Diandra's frilly dresses.

He really shouldn't be so angry with her. He knew she had no idea that her words could have affected him the way that they did. But, he had to be angry with somebody, and he wasn't about to be mad at himself.

"Sir, the buggy is ready," said one of the troopers.

"Go and get your things then. We're about to leave." He rose from his chair to go see how long Tifa was going to take. When he got to the back room, Neco was sitting on the edge of his bed with a pensive look on his face. "Where is she?"

"Changing," he answered. "I like her. She's a dear. I hope Rufus doesn't plan on harming the girl. She seems harmless enough."

"I don't think his plans involve that," he replied, sitting next to him. "She'll probably be free to go as soon as Rufus gets the results he wants. I figure Strife won't be too slow in responding to the fact that she's been kidnapped again."

Last time she'd been taken, it only took Cloud two days to arrive. Tifa would never know that, though. Before Cloud could get to her cell, Vincent and Cid had already gotten there and had worked with Rufus to release her. Cid ran into Cloud first and forbade him from seeing Tifa. Vincent punctuated that by threatening to methodically dismember Cloud if he ever tried to see Tifa again. Reno remembered having a few more words with him about it; but in the end, all that mattered was the Reno issued his own threat that day. If Cloud came to the rescue this time, Reno would have to remember not to be in the room.

The bathroom door opened. Tifa stepped out wearing faded blue jeans and a white blouse that showed a gratuitous amount of her cleavage. Reno's mouth hung open for a second before he turned to Neco and shouted, "What the hell are you giving her to wear!?"

"I think she looks nice," he said absently. "Of course, Diandra isn't as… well… there's no point in beating around the bush, Tifa's breasts are larger than my wife's. But, the shirt looks good on her."

Reno sputtered. "Tifa, you are not wearing that!"

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because… I'm trying to keep us under the radar. That shirt doesn't exactly scream, 'hey, don't look at us!'"

"You should have thought about that before kidnapping me," Tifa said. "I like the shirt and I'm going to wear it. You can at least grant me that concession considering everything you've put me through."

"I don't have to grant you a damned thing, babe!"

"Reno, calm down," Neco said. "It's not that revealing. You're overreacting. Besides, between here and Fort Condor there won't be many people. Just let her wear it."

"Who's side are you on?" Reno shouted accusingly.

"I'm not on anybody's side," Neco said, standing up. "You know, you're wasting time arguing about this. You should have left by now."

"We're not leaving until she changes her shirt!"

"Gods, Reno. You're being annoying," Tifa said. "I'm not changing, so I guess you'd better get comfortable."

"Fine! Don't change! But don't expect me to keep the Troopers' grubby little hands off you when they see you!" Reno was pleased to see her cheeks turn red at that. "Hadn't thought of that, had you?"

"No. But that's not the problem. I never knew you were such a jealous person."

"What are you babbling about?"

"It's okay for you to put your grubby little hands on me but not okay for them. I figure it's typical for people to ogle me considering I'm a 'smutty bartender.' So, the only problem here is that you're afraid that other people are going to touch me. The thing about being possessive, though, is that you have to possess the person first. I belong to you only in the sense that you've kidnapped me. But you have no right to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous! I don't care who touches you!" Was that true? He didn't want to examine it all that much just in case it wasn't. "You know what! Just get the rest of the clothes and get in the damned buggy. I'm not having this ridiculous conversation with you."

Neco bent down and picked up the suitcase he'd given to her. Tifa turned on her heel, leading the way to the buggy. The moment she stepped outside, she found that Reno may have had a point. She felt like an attraction at a zoo when the troopers' eyes took in what she had to offer. She was about to turn around to beg Reno to give her some time to put a sweater on, but he had just draped his jacket over her shoulders and snapped at her to zip it up.

Yes, damn it! He was jealous! He wished she hadn't pointed it out because then he never would have known and would have been perfectly blissful. Now things were complicated. "Get in the buggy!" he ordered. The troopers nodded and climbed into the back seat.

"Good-bye, Tifa," Neco said. "It was nice to meet you. I hope we meet again someday. My wife would love you."

Tifa smiled. Throwing propriety into the wind, she stepped close to him and gave him a hug. It took him a moment to hug her back. She supposed he wasn't used to it. Stepping back, she said, "I did enjoy meeting you, Neco. You made me feel like a guest instead of a prisoner."

"Are we done with the good-byes or would you like me to turn away while you two share a passionate kiss?" Reno said.

Neco frowned. "Behave, Reno."

Tifa waved good-bye to Neco one last time and got into the buggy. Reno walked over to Neco to shake his hand just as his PHS began to ring. "Oh… one second." He pulled it from his pocket. "What's up, Rufus?" he asked after putting it to his ear.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Neco's. I'm on schedule. Why?"

"Just making sure she hasn't escaped. Some things have changed, but I'll fill you in later. It is very important that you get her to Midgar as soon as possible. She needs to be… questioned." Before Reno could ask what he meant by that, the dial tone filled his ear.

"He's not going to hurt her, is he?"

Reno looked up at him. "Why do you keep asking me that? I told you, I don't think he plans on harming her."

"I can see it on your face, Reno. I don't think you're sure of that anymore."

Reno looked away from him. "There's not much I can do if that is his plan for her. My only duty is to get her to Midgar. What happens afterward is not my business."

Neco stared at him. "I don't think you're sure of that anymore, either."


	9. Landscapes

**Tengoko: So, my hiatus isn't lasting very long. I guess with this update, I'm officially putting my hiatus on hiatus. I've missed writing about Reno and Tifa. Luckily, in the time I've taken off, I've managed to get my hands on Crisis Core. Thankfully, the events in Crisis Core do not throw off the continuity of this story, so I'll just continue as planned. Thank you to all who have reviewed and sent me feedback and/or comments. I dedicate this chapter to all of you — and if you have some extra time, please review this chapter. **

**Chapter 9: Landscapes**

--

She wondered how long he was going to ignore it. When asked why he didn't just turn the PHS off if he wasn't going to answer it, he simply said that he wasn't allowed to turn it off while he was on a mission. But then why did he ignore it? Every time it began to ring, he'd clench his jaw and set his eyes straight in front of him, blocking out the sounds of the tone. Whoever was trying to call him wasn't getting the hint. Reno wasn't in the mood for talking.

She wondered why he was so angry. Was he still upset from last night? What was it that she'd said to set him off? And more importantly… why did she care?

"Reno?"

He didn't answer, but the way his head moved and his eyes glanced over at her, if even for a second, let her know that he was definitely listening.

"Not that it's any of my business, but what exactly is going on?"

Another full minute of silence. So, he was going to ignore her too? She crossed her arms and resigned herself to not caring when suddenly that slick voice of his permeated the quiet. "In what context are you asking me this question?" he asked in a tone that was far from casual. "Are you curious to know who's calling, what the status of my mission is, or…?" He hoped it wasn't 'or'. Stick to the mission, never stray. He never really followed that motto closely, but he knew that if he was ever going to adhere to the rules he set for himself long ago, now would be the time. He couldn't afford to let her in, to tell her that what he was thinking was how uncertain he was about handing her over. When did he start caring about her welfare? He was a Turk, damn it. And she... she was AVALANCHE for all intensive purposes. Perhaps not an enemy, but definitely not a friend. The line was thin, and Reno wasn't sure that skirting around that line was the wisest of ideas.

"I want to know what's wrong with you," she spit out, not caring how that sounded. Just because she was interested to know didn't mean she was emotionally involved. She just hated not knowing what had happened, what she'd said.

Damn. It had to be 'or'... "Nothing's wrong with me," he lied.

"Neco told me that you question your job," she said, pushing the issue. "Are you questioning the job now? You didn't want to kidnap me, did you? And you still don't want to deliver me to Shinra, do you?"

Why couldn't she just let it go. Obviously he didn't want to talk about it. What would he have to do to get it through to her? "I want to do my job," he snapped. "It's not for me to pick and choose which part of my missions I do. If the president wants me to bring you to him, then I do that. Don't overcomplicate things, Tifa. I'm not a complex man. And Neco is just giving you suppositions. There's no way he could possibly prove or know that."

"He seems to know you pretty well, though."

"Tifa… you really need to shut the hell up," he said dangerously. Stop caring... she needed to stop caring. If that's what it was. He was convinced this was just another trick on her part to make him lower his guard just as he'd done back at the inn in Junon. He couldn't trust her to be sincere, and he definitely couldn't trust her with his inner most thoughts... about how he didn't want her to get hurt, how he wasn't sure how to just walk away after handing her over... Thoughts he needed to let go of or at least come to terms with before they got to Midgar. But the more she kept questioning him, the more he questioned himself... and the more that pissed him off.

Tifa glared at him. She didn't understand this new, unfamiliar Reno. What happened to the man who engaged in slapstick humor despite how dire the situation was? What happened to the guy who used to spit out one-liners at the most inaproppriate of times? She'd seen glimpses of the man sitting beside her from time to time, but it was not how she had come to know him. Not this serious, cruel, somewhat sadistic man. She'd often wondered how he fit in the equation of the Turks. He never seemed mean enough... She was beginning to understand. But, that didn't mean she was any more accepting of her situation or the fact that he had just told her to shut the hell up.

"What's the point? The worst thing you could possibly do to me is already being done. What incentive do I have not to keep pestering you? You can't hurt me. You can't take anything from me except my freedom, but you've already done that. So tell me, Reno… why shouldn't I…"

She didn't finish her sentence. Suddenly, a hand shot out from the back seat and clapped Reno on the shoulder. Tifa gasped, surprised by the unexpected appendage popping out of nowhere, and Reno, reacting like a trained killer, slammed on the breaks, and turned around, gun drawn, pointing at the troopers head.

The trooper stared wide-eyed. "Um… Mr. Storm…?"

Reno lowered his gun. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Bernstein?" he shouted. "Don't you ever do that to a Turk! If you'd done that to Rude, you wouldn't have a face anymore."

"I'm sorry, sir. But I thought you might want to hear this," he said, holding his phone up. "The director of security just sent us this mail."

Reno angrily put the buggy into park and turned in his seat. "Next time you need to get my attention, say my name. Don't just reach out and grab me. I don't like being touched. Now, what's the problem?"

Bernstein scooted back a little before saying, "They're saying that the NC001 has been attacked. That's the reactor near North Corel, right? They say that it's an isolated incident and it's under control though."

The transformation was instant. Tifa had doubted before that he could look any angrier; she was wrong. His face paled, his jaw was set as he clenched his teeth together. She saw his free hand start shaking from his unspoken fury while his left hand gripped the steering wheel so firmly that his entire hand was whitening. She felt like reaching out to calm him down, but she was afraid that might actually make it worse. Why did the attack at North Corel effect him so much. He was a Turk, not the President. It was only his job to punish those who committed the crime, not worry about the crime itself. She looked back at Bernstein who'd leaned back in his own seat to put some distance between himself and his superior. Tifa felt like doing the same, but she had never been the type to cower. Actually, her interests were piqued. She really was curious to know why this bothered him.

All thoughts had fled his mind for a good while. All he had was his rage; a rage so intense that it was blinding. It disoriented him at the very least, and it took him a moment to regain his composure. Trying his best to remain in control, he reached for his PHS that was in the cup holder and flipped it open. How could this have happened? After all of his hard work, after everything he put into the NC001 project, he saw it all going up in flames. He went straight to his mail and found that Tseng had sent him quite a few messages. He opened the most recent one:

_Reno,_

_Why aren't you answering your PHS?_

_By the time you read this, I'd imagine that you'd have  
already learned about the attack in North Corel.  
Reeve Tetsui and Rufus Shinra are telling the media  
that the attack was by a local gang and that it's an isolated  
incident. However, the president has already informed me that  
they believe that it was Barret Wallace and his newly  
reformed AVALANCHE_

_I know that you're going to want to abandon your  
mission and come to North Corel as soon as possible.  
I implore you not to do that. Elena and I are already  
here investigating. I can tell you truthfully that the  
reactor is not irreparable. Reno, your mission is crucial._

_In order to capture Barret Wallace and Cloud Strife__  
Tifa Lockheart must be in Shin-Ra custody.__  
Call me when you've finished reading this. Make sure  
that you are away from prying eyes and ears._

_-Tseng_

Reno pocketed his phone and pushed his door open. "We're all getting out of the buggy," he said furiously.

Tifa just sat still, watching the scene unfold. The two men in the back seat didn't move, and one glance at them told her why: they were afraid of him. Well, she supposed if she was in their shoes, she'd be pretty terrified as well. "It's about to rain," she pointed out to Bernstein and the other trooper, looking out at the dark clouds rolling in. "Why would he want to get out now?"

"Maybe he has to piss?" Bernstein said crudely.

She watched as he walked in front of the buggy around to her door. He yanked it open, reached in, and pulled her out. Slamming her into the side, he wrenched her hands behind her and cuffed them together. "Wouldn't want you running while I'm out and about," he whispered angrily. He was being rougher than he had to be, but that was generous considering the things he wanted to do. He felt like shaking her until her brain rattled, wringing her throat… She might not have been directly involved in what happened, but she'd once been a part of AVALANCHE and in his mind, that was as good as being guilty. If she knew where Wallace was, he'd find—

He always thought it was cliche to suggest that when a person was struck with an ephiphany or an idea, a lightbulb went on in their head. However, there was no better way to describe it. It was instant, and so obvious that he mentally kicked himself for not seeing it before. So that's what this was about. The questioning. Rufus Shinra had no clue where Wallace was, and he probably was thinking Tifa would know. Of course Tifa would know. He squeezed the cuffs even tighter until he heard her wince. "Sor— " he caught himself. He would not apologize for hurting her. He would not feel guilty. "Sorry," he said in a more 'I'm not really sorry tone.' "But given our history together, can you really blame me for this lack of trust?"

"I don't like being handcuffed," she said, her eyes narrowing. It wasn't a simple statement. It was a warning. Not that she could break them. Even with her abnormal strength, she would have enough momentum to break the chain without the help of some sort of tool... perhaps a sharp rock.

"I don't like being on this mission. But sometimes, we have to put up with shit that we don't want to deal with. If I have to live with it, so do you!" He threw her down and then banged on the window, shouting to the troopers who were still inside. "I thought I told you to get your asses out of the buggy… NOW!"

He grabbed the first one out by the collar, swinging him around. "You stay here and you watch her. She's not to move. If she tries to run…" He was going to say shoot her in the leg. But he didn't. They'd take that order seriously… Even though he was serious… "Just do what you have to do. But keep her here… even if you have to hurt her. I'll be back."

Reno started walking towards the mountains. He waited till he was a decent distance away from the buggy, far enough to not be heard but close enough to still see the three he'd left behind. Tseng didn't answer his PHS at first, but Reno wasn't about to just leave it at that. He called again… and again. Finally, the fourth time, Tseng answered his phone.

"It's about time you answered!" Reno yelled.

"I was otherwise occupied," Tseng said calmly, unfazed by the young Turk's temper.

Reno growled. "What happened? Do you know anything else?"

"Look, I know you have a lot invested in North Corel. And I know you're not going to calm down, even if I ask you to, but Reno, don't get side-tracked. The only reason I told you as much as I did was because I knew that if you found out any other way, you'd have left Tifa Lockheart on the spot and come straight here."

"What makes you think I won't do that right now?" he challenged.

"Because you owe me," he said simply. "I'm asking you not only as your boss but as somebody who's covered your backside for many years. I know you want revenge, Reno. We all want Wallace for this. But, the best way to go about it is to keep doing what you've been doing. Get Tifa Lockheart to Midgar."

Reno paced and raked his hand through his hair, moving his goggles back and stringing a bunch of curses under his breath. He stopped at last and said, "Understood. Tifa Lockheart will be in Midgar within the next seventy-two hours." He didn't wait for Tseng to reply. He snapped his PHS shut and then kicked the closest thing next to him. A large rock. He didn't even feel the pain in his foot. He just kicked it again. "DAMN IT!" he yelled.

He looked up at the sky just as a raindrop fell on his forehead. He closed his eyes when the rain came, feeling the cool water on his face. He felt like he was about to burst. He needed to do something… anything. He opened his eyes, and then… he froze.

It couldn't be. Blinking hard repeatedly wasn't making him go away. But... he'd been gone for so long. Would he really just show up now? Yes, there was no other explanation. It wasn't a hallucination. He was really there, standing on the mountain, close enough for Reno to know exactly who it was. Even if the black coat, the SOLDIER pants, the blond hair and the riding goggles hadn't given him away, the Buster sword would have. "…Cloud?"

Reno stepped forward, not believing his eyes. What now? Who was going to move first? Reno didn't reach for his gun… he didn't make a move besides that one step. Cloud slowly removed his goggles. Despite the distance between them, Reno felt the stare. He grabbed the hilt of his sword. Reno thought this was it. They were going to fight. Cloud was here to rescue Tifa and that was that. Yet, he didn't pull his sword. Instead, he pointed with his free hand just as Reno heard somebody shout; heard a woman shout.

Tifa!

Reno spun around, not sure what to make of what was going on. The troopers were dragging her down to the dirt; Bernstein holding her legs while Ferguson tugged her by her shoulders, slamming her down. She was putting up quite a struggle, shouting, biting, kicking. But with her hands behind her back, her main source of strength was unusable... And now Ferguson was on top of her, his knife pressed against her throat while Bernstein sat on top of her legs to keep her from kicking them. Reno took another step in their direction before remembering Cloud was there. He turned his head to see if he was coming to save her... but he was gone. Wait...! He was gone? That couldn't be right...

He'd worry about it later. With the speed his was known for, and sometimes envied for, he took off towards them, shouting for the two troopers to stand down. They either couldn't hear him or they weren't listening. "Ferguson! Get off of her now!" he shouted again. This time, he knew he had been heard because Ferguson looked straight at him. He still didn't move and he made no indication that moving was on his agenda. He bent down to try to force a kiss on Tifa. That's when Reno reached for his gun.


	10. Measure of Weakness

**Tengoko: It has been too long. For that I apologize. Trying to get through my last semester, and as you might imagine, I have been extremely busy. But, I couldn't sleep tonight and was finished with my homework, so I decided it was time to get back to this story. It feels great to be updating, and I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Update 1/23: Upon my re-read for the next update in this story, I came across a huge gaping plot hole here. Not a big game changer, but enough to bother me incessantly. It's fixed now, so no harm done, just thought I'd point out that I did add a bit of content since the original upload.**

Chapter 10: Measure of Weakness

Tifa watched him walk away trying to figure out what had happened to illicit such a dramatic fit of anger. She took a step towards the front of the car to see him better, leaning her weight against it to watch him. She could hear that he was yelling but couldn't make out what he was saying. What was more interesting to her was what happened after he hung up. She jumped when he kicked the rock, her eyes widening. She wanted to know what was wrong. Why he was acting this way. More to the point, she wanted to figure out what she could do to bring back the old Reno. The Reno that was easy to hate and not feel any concern for.

"I'm surprised she hasn't tried to run," Bernstein said behind her. She turned to see both of them standing about three feet away, shoulder to shoulder, staring at her with what could only be described as hungry eyes. Her mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusion, and here she was, unable to defend herself. She looked around, her burgundy eyes searching for a route of escape. And, for the first time in her life, she was wishing that Reno was there to protect her from them.

"I don't imagine I'd make it very far," she said honestly. She might be stronger than Reno, but she'd seen the man run. He was much faster. She hoped they'd leave it at that. She turned back to see where Reno was. If she screamed, would he come to her? Probably not. Judging by his earlier actions, he probably wouldn't care if the two troopers ganged up on her and had their way. In fact, he'd most likely tell them to hurry up with it so they could be on their way. But she still hoped. Maybe Neco hadn't been wrong. Maybe the reason she couldn't figure out Reno was because he wasn't simple. He had a soul. Maybe that meant he would save her.

"You may be on to something there," the other Trooper said. Tifa couldn't recall his name. Nor could she recall if he'd even said it. He looked fairly young, though. Lanky and over-confident. The type she could easily take… were she not handcuffed and outnumbered. He took a step closer to her. She took one closer to Reno. "What's the matter?" he asked in a taunting voice. "Are you frightened?"

She didn't answer. She wouldn't call what she was feeling fright. More like frustration. She wanted her hands to be free. They wouldn't even think about messing with her then. And she wouldn't feel so vulnerable. She took another step back towards Reno. What the hell was taking him so long? Didn't they have a schedule that they needed to stick to?

Bernstein chuckled. "How far do you think we could get before Reno comes back?" he asked the other trooper.

The answer was simple. Not very far. Did they really believe that their superior officer would let them get their jollies off while they were on duty? Gods, she hoped that wasn't the case. "Reno wouldn't like us touching her. But… I'm wondering if we could at least get a kiss? He wouldn't mind that, would he?"

No. But Tifa would mind. She would mind a hell of a lot. She did a complete about face and hurried towards Reno, but not long after- seconds at most- she felt a hand on her shoulder, forcing her back around. "Don't touch me!" she shouted. But Bernstein was not in the mood to do as she asked. In fact, his other hand came up to her other shoulder and the pressure he started to put on her told her where they wanted her to be: on the ground.

Over her dead body!

She kicked out at him, and then began to run backwards, but the other trooper tackled her. "Stop! Let me go!" she shouted again. She kicked him, but he either was a complete masochist or was to focused on his goal to notice the pain. He dragged her down, and she landed hard on her cuffed hands, making her howl in pain. She tried to get back up quickly, but he was on top of her, straddling her to keep her down.

Now Tifa was frightened. Growing up with her strength and ability, she never had to worry about men trying to force themselves on her. It was never a real fear for her. An impossibility. And even if she couldn't handle the crowd of raving drunks that hung around her bar, she had Barret. But now she couldn't take care of herself… and Barret wasn't there. This was very real.

"Please… don't do this…" she begged. It felt degrading. To have to beg not to be assaulted.

"It's just a kiss," he said, taking his knife out and putting it against her throat.

Even so, it was horrifying. He made it sound simple. Like if she surrendered a kiss, it would be somehow less allowing him to go further. But in her mind it was one in the same. It was more than the kiss. It was the situation. It was knowing that, even once, Tifa had been subdued and was at the complete mercy of a man who meant to steal something important to her.

"Get off of her Ferguson!" she heard.

"Reno!" she cried, beginning to wriggle again to throw Ferguson off, but when he pressed the blade harder against her throat she stopped.

"Ferguson! Get off of her now!" His voice sounded closer.

"Just one kiss," he said, leaning down, forcing her chin up with his knife. Tifa clenched her eyes and lips shut.

The sound of the gunfire made her jump, and she winced when she felt the sharp blade cut her skin. The knife fell from her throat, though. Opening her eyes, she saw Ferguson staring down at her with wide eyes. She wasn't sure what had happened, but he opened his mouth to speak. She had never seen anything like it. When his lips parted, a small puff of smoke came out, and then he coughed. Blood splattered onto Tifa. Not a lot, but it still made her flinch and push him away. He fell to the ground next to her, and only then did she see the bullet wound on the back of his neck.

"Get up," Reno said.

Tifa couldn't move. She couldn't explain why, but she couldn't convince her body to do it. Her mind was only half into the notion as it was. But Reno was adamant about it. She saw him approach her, his gun now pointed at Bernstein. She'd never been happier to see anybody, and as he reached down to slide his arm around her waist, she let her head lull forward against his chest, feeling both relieved and defeated. He lifted her up- a task that couldn't have been easy as she offered no help in that respect.

Reno put her behind him and then turned his attention back to Bernstein. His breathing had yet to return to normal- and it had nothing to do with the fact that he'd just full out sprinted to get to her. The truth was, the moment he saw Bernstein move to kiss her, something sparked inside of him. Something primal and terrifying. And the image of that moment was so completely seared in his mind and he kept going over it again and again. That's why he couldn't calm down.

"Why didn't you stop him?" he demanded of Bernstein. "Why did you let him do that to her?"

Bernstein held his hands up and started backing away slowly. "Now, be reasonable, Reno," he began.

"Be reasonable?" he demanded. "Be reasonable? Like you were just doing? You're pathetic. To have to wait for her to be cuffed and alone to help your buddy assault her? Did that seem reasonable to you?"

"That's not what I was doing?" he defended.

"Don't fucking lie to me!" Reno screamed. "I told you to watch her. To make sure she didn't escape. If you can't do your fucking job, what use are you to me?" If that wasn't a loaded question, Tifa didn't know what was. Bernstein stammered, struggling to find an answer. "That's right. You're of no use to me." He opened fire.

After he killed Bernstein, he set his gun back in his holster and stared down at the body for a moment. Had he really just killed two men to protect Tifa? Sure he could dress it up. That he killed them for disobeying orders. For jeopardizing the mission. But that wasn't it at all. Reno often disobeyed orders which usually meant jeopardizing missions. He never would have killed people for that. He killed them for touching her… for hurting her. There was no dancing around that.

He turned slowly to look at her. She was staring down at Ferguson, her lips quavering, her eyes unmoving. Slowly he moved around her, uncuffing her and then watching her arms wrap automatically around her chest, hugging herself. Reno took off his jacket, putting it around her for the second time, and pulled her against him, one hand gently pressing her to lie her head against his chest while the other went around her waist, rubbing her lower back.

What he hadn't expected was for Tifa to seize him as tightly as she did. He could feel her body trembling against his, and suddenly she was burying her face into his shirt and was crying. The anger that he'd been feeling melted away entirely. These tears were real- not contrived like the ones in Junon. Something he thought he'd never see. Tifa Lockheart crying.

"It's okay, Tifa," he said, looking back at the landscape searching for Cloud. There was no sign of him.

Tifa felt humiliated. Dirty. That man had his hands on her. And there hadn't been a damn thing she could do about it. It made her feel weak. That wasn't something Tifa was accustomed to feeling, and it was jarring. "It's not okay," she insisted.

She felt Reno's fingers thread through her hair. Lifting her head, she looked up at him. His expression was soft, his eyes overflowing with sympathy. Sympathy… in Reno… He looked so different. The rain had flattened his hair, his lips were not twisted in his goofy grin or fixed in his stony frown. It was deeper than that though. This was beneath the surface.

He wished she wouldn't look at him that way. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes glazed over with tears. Her hair looked glossy and it stuck to her forehead and the sides of her face. "Tifa…" He forced himself to look somewhere else. Down. Where Ferguson's blood was running down her arm as the rain washed it away. He noticed her blood. "Tifa, he cut you?" he asked, tilting her face up so he could look at her neck.

"I'm okay," she said. She didn't believe herself, so she didn't expect that he believed her either. The cut really wasn't deep. More a scrape than anything. The damage was internal. She couldn't push the look that Ferguson had in his eyes out of her mind. "I'll be okay. I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl," she said, moving out of his arms.

Reno closed his eyes before turning his head away. "I know you can," he said. "But even so… there's nothing wrong with leaning on somebody from time to time. You know that, right?"

Tifa's head snapped up. "Leaning on somebody?" she snapped, her anger coming out of nowhere. In her opinion, it was about time. "Like depending on them? Like I depended on Cloud? And Barret? No. You're wrong. Do you know what happens when you start leaning on people? You expect them to always be there when you need somebody. What's worse is… you start needing somebody. You grow so used to having that person there. And then when they leave, it's like you don't know how to fall on your own ass anymore. Like you can't stand up on your own. It renders you helpless… weak. I'll _never_ be like that again."

Reno was stunned by her outburst. There was so many things he wanted to say. That you couldn't stop trusting people because a few people in your life hurt you. That you can't possibly handle things on your own. That everybody needs somebody at one point for some reason or another. But… he didn't say any of these things. It wouldn't matter now. She wasn't going to hear him. Aside from that… he had to at least try to get back to not caring. By offering her advice like that, it would inevitably bring them closer. That was something he couldn't do.

"Take as much time as you need, Tifa," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "We'll leave when you're ready."

She wiped her eyes and trudged back to the buggy. "I just want to get out of this place," she muttered. At the moment, she didn't mind if that meant moving closer to Rufus Shinra. She just wanted to leave Ferguson and Bernstein behind, and never look back again.


	11. A Nightmare

**Tengoko: I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry for that. Been really wrapped up in personal things, but I finally have some free time. Thank you to everybody who has reviewed so far. You guys have been great motivators to get this story finished. I promise that I will do my best to keep delivering chapters. Thanks for your patience. So, this chapter is dedicated to all of you who have stuck with it. Thank you so much.**

**Chapter 11: A Nightmare**

**--**

_Had it all been a dream?_

_Quite abruptly Tifa shot up from her bed, but the pain that erupted from her midsection caused her to double over, nearly falling off of the bed. Her hand reached out to stop her fall, pressing against the immaculately clean wooden floor. Her burgundy eyes stared at it for a moment as tears of pain and realization filled them. It hadn't been a dream. The pain was more than enough to remind her that the events had been real. That she had just lost everything she cared about. And that it was Shinra's fault._

"_Dear, you musn't move so quickly."_

_Tifa looked up to see an elderly nurse moving towards her. She was helped back onto the mattress, the sheet pulled down so that her wound could be checked. "So glad to see that you've woken up, dear. You had us all worried. Not too many got out of Nibelheim alive. How very fortunate you are."_

_Fortunate? Tifa didn't feel at all fortunate. Her friends were dead, Sephiroth had gone crazy, and her father had been murdered before her own eyes. How the hell was that fortunate by any stretch of the imagination? She looked down at her hands as the nurse began to redress her bandages. "Did… anybody else… survive?" she asked hopefully._

"_A few people did. Not many. I know the president still has rescue teams searching."_

_Rescue teams? No. He probably had clean up crews in there. Elite agents to cover up what had happened. Nobody would be in a hurry to reveal that it was Sephiroth, the hero of the war with Wutai, that had caused such destruction and chaos. In fact, had Tifa not witnessed for herself what had happened, she would find it difficult to believe. She had liked Sephiroth. He had seemed kind if not a little guarded. And Cloud revered him. Had said that he wanted to be just like him some day. She hoped that never came to pass. If Cloud ever became like that animal, she would hate him forever. And what of the other man? What of Zack? Had Sephiroth killed him, too? She didn't want to ask. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know at the moment._

"_My father…"_

_The nurse's eyes suddenly filled with sympathy. "I can check if he made it? What was his name?"_

_Tifa shook her head, the tears spilling over and she desperately tried to wipe them away. "No. He… he didn't make it. I saw… I saw him die. He was killed. I saw it. He tried to stop it all, but he was murdered."_

"_Surely not murdered," the nurse said, aghast. So it was true. Not everybody knew what happened. "You need to rest, dear. You've had a rough time."_

_A rough time? Is that how losing one's father was defined now- a rough time? She didn't say another word as the nurse finished up the bandaging, but instead of going back to sleep, Tifa gazed out of the window. She didn't know where she was. It definitely wasn't Nibelheim, but she could still see mountains. She was somewhere close to home… Or… what used to be home. That thought struck her hard. Tifa no longer had a home. Nibelheim was in flame and ruin, everything she treasured and loved was burned in those flames, and all the people she cared for had died at the end of Sephiroth's sword. Where was home now?_

_Tifa threw the sheet off of her body and looked around. The nurses were out of sight and the path to the doorway looked clear. But even if she managed to escape, where would she go? How would she get there? Did it matter? How long would it be before Shinra decided to send people in to hush them. Tifa would be one of the prime people needed to be kept silent. She had seen everything which meant she had seen more than too much. Yes, escape was the only option. _

_Ignoring the pain, she pushed herself off of the bed and stumbled towards the door._

"_Dear! Wait! You shouldn't be walking around with an injury like yours!" the nurse shouted._

_Tifa did not stop. In fact, she broke into a run. It hurt like hell, but it was well worth it if it meant escaping from the stifling room and from the prospect of being held captive by a man she had grown to hate more than she had ever thought possible._

--

She jolted awake, her feet thrashing and her arms swinging. "Don't touch me!" she shouted ferociously. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest, her body seemed to be doused in a cold sweat, and it took more than a moment for her to remember where she was and who she was with. Reno's hand was still on her shoulder from having shaken her and he didn't look at all surprised by her reaction to have been woken so suddenly. "I'm sorry," she said, noticing that it was still raining outside.

"You were moving a lot in your sleep," he explained. "I thought you were having a nightmare."

She sat up straight, brushing her hair out of her face. "I was."

His hand hadn't moved from her shoulder, but before she could wonder why, it moved up to her forehead. He shifted in his seat, turning his body towards her. "You have a fever," he said, his voice edged with concern. Or, it sounded a lot like concern, but it couldn't be that. "Damn it… It was probably too damn cold in here and you were still wet… I should have known better… Shit."

"I feel fine," she lied.

"No you don't. You look awful. And we're too damn far from Fort Condor." He turned all the way around, reaching over his seat into the back for his bag. Pulling it into the front with them, he pulled out a bottle of pills and poured two out into his hand. "Take these," he said, also handing her the bottle of water in the cup holder. "They'll help with the fever."

She didn't move. Tifa could only stare at him, wondering where this was coming from. His job was to get her to Midgar alive. Maybe that meant that he had to invest in her well being for the duration of the trip which including making sure she didn't die of something like pneumonia. But the concern did seem a little over the top. Tifa had plenty of fevers before, and had pulled out of them without his help. And she did feel slightly under the weather, but had certainly been in worst situations concerning her health. She wasn't worried about this one. Not like he was, anyway. "Fine," she said after his gaze hardened on her. She grabbed the pills and popped them into her mouth before drinking them down. "I'll be okay. My body is naturally warm, and maybe I am getting a little sick, but I'll be fine."

"Uh huh," he said, obviously not convinced. He turned again to reach for another blanket to add to the one she'd already been given. He didn't know why he was so concerned. A fever should be the least of his worries. In fact, he should be thankful for it. A fever meant an infection which meant she would be less than one-hundred percent. That meant her ability to escape decreased by considerable degrees. So why was he so determined to see her well? Guilt? Yes. He'd go with that, but even that excuse was a difficult one to accept.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

Why did she have to ask that? Hell if he knew why. "Doing what?"

"Acting all paternal."

Well there was a word for it. He moved away, sitting back against the door with his arm resting on the steering wheel. "You're my responsibility right now," he said, hoping she would leave it at that. But the doubtful expression she was shooting his way told him that he wasn't going to be quite that lucky. "Why do you have to ask so many questions? Why can't you just accept that I'm trying to help you and move on?"

She should have expected that he'd dodge the question. Reno seemed to have a problem with being straightforward with her. "I would simply accept it if it were anybody else. But the Turks don't have a history of offering help without an ulterior motive. So, what is yours?"

"_If _I did have another reason for doing this, what makes you think I'd be in a hurry to let you in on it? Besides, you seem to have me all figured out, so why not come up with something in your mind and assume that to be the truth?" He looked passed her at the window and sighed. "The rain is making it impossible to see, but we can't stay much longer. Cloud is following us."

He had been debating with himself while she slept about whether he was going to tell her or keep it to himself. But for some reason, it had been grating on him. He wanted to see how she would react to the news. Would she be ecstatic? Thrilled at the prospect of once again playing damsel in distress to her former lover boy? Or would she harbor the same bitterness she held every time his name was mentioned?

"Cloud?" She didn't believe him at first, but then figured he'd have no reason to lie about it. Cloud did always say he'd care about her, and she never did doubt that. So, if he had heard she'd been taken by the Turks, of course he'd jump at the chance to be her hero again. It was kind of touching, and had it been a year ago, she'd have been drunk with euphoria at hearing he was coming to get her. She supposed that spoke numbers about what his leaving had done to her. Maybe she just wasn't quite ready to forgive him yet.

"When I was making the phone call. He wasn't too far. He saw that you were in trouble. He noticed before I even heard you scream. So… I guess this means AVALANCHE isn't too far behind him."

Tifa was startled now. "He saw what happened, and he wasn't that far?" It seemed Reno wasn't the only one with an ulterior motive now. "I don't think you're in any danger of being stopped. At least not by Cloud. If he wanted to rescue me, he would have done it then. Two troopers would be a walk in the park to Cloud, and no offense, but he never had too much trouble with you either."

She could tell he did take offense to that. He set his jaw and his eyes sharpened. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. I had been thinking that myself. So… if he's not here to rescue you, then why is he following us?"

She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Oh, I doubt that. You're telling me after everything the two of you shared, you don't have even the slightest idea why he's trailing us?"

She glared at him. "First of all, you have no idea what Cloud and I shared, so don't sit there and presume things about us. As for an idea… I don't know. Maybe he's trying to figure out why you've decided to kidnap me for seemingly no reason. This wouldn't be the first time your president has operated below the radar, and with Cloud serving as a self proclaimed protector of Gaia, I would imagine Rufus Shinra's actions would be of interest to him."

"You still love him," Reno said, surprised by his own bitter tone.

"I will always love Cloud," she said without meaning to. This was none of Reno's business, and she had warned him on multiple occasions not to bring it up. "He was the first person I ever loved, and I have loved him most of my life. He will always have a special place in my heart no matter where we stand with one another. But is that so surprising? It's not just something you can turn off, you know. We have shared a lot with one another. Some things just can't be erased no matter how hard you try. And I have tried. Believe me."

"So that's what love is?" he asked. "Being driven mad? Being permanently attached to the person, to be obligated to care about them for the rest of your life? Doesn't sound at all appealing to me and why anybody would want to fall into something like that just seems ridiculous to me."

She shook her head. "You obviously don't know what you're talking about. It's not something that I can explain. It's just something you're going to have to experience to know."

"I'd rather not."

"It's not just between a man and a woman, Reno. It can also be among family. My father… he's been dead for years, but I will always love him. And I know that he will love me forever. It is a bond… something that can never be broken. You don't do it because you have to. You do it because it's right. Because ultimately, that love makes you a better person." She seemed to have struck a nerve with him again. Feeling brave, she decided to press it. "Didn't you love your family?"

His expression had darkened, his eyes burning with anger. "I don't want to talk about this with you."

"Then with who?"

"Nobody! I don't want to talk about this with anybody. My past is just that: the past. It's not something I look back at and am filled with warm, fuzzy feelings. Perhaps when you think of your father, you think of some benevolent man who loved you and wanted the best for you, but that's not what comes to mind when I think of mine. I wouldn't even call him a father. He was just some guy who knocked my mother up. Some asshole that should have lived out his days at Corel prison rather than having any hand in raising me or my sister."

Tifa was shocked. Not only by his startling words, but that he'd even said anything about it at all. The look on his face told her that he was surprised, too. Right after telling her he wouldn't say a word about it, he had spilled all of that. "What about your mother…?" She knew she was pushing her luck, but now she was interested. She could see the struggle in his features as he fought with himself to hold back. He lost that battle.

"She was… She was a good mother. For as long as she was able to be a good mother. She died when I was young. I hardly remember her. I remember… I remember her smile. She had the prettiest smile. It could warm anybody who saw it. When she was alive… my father… he was a good father. Her death changed him. It changed all of us."

"Is that why you joined SOLDIER?"

He glanced at her. "I don't… think we should talk about this anymore."

"Reno-"

"Please," he cut her off, his voice a soft whisper now. "I can't… I can't talk about this anymore. It's not just because it's you. I haven't ever… Nobody knows… and I just can't. I'm sorry."

"My father was killed by Sephiroth," Tifa said. She knew it was probably no secret to him. He was in a group that was privy to information like that. But after hearing the pain in his voice and seeing the lost look in his eyes, she at least wanted him to hear it from her own lips just as she had heard about his father from his. "It was what I was dreaming about. Sephiroth had lost his mind and started slaughtering everybody in my home town. I remember waking up to the sound of screams… the way the fire crackled. I thought I was having a nightmare. I could hear my father shouting for me, and I ran down just glad to see that he was okay. He told me to help the people, that he was going to try to stop Sephiroth.

"I shouldn't have followed him to the reactor, but I was afraid. Sephiroth had killed so many people. I didn't want him to kill my father. But I was too late. Just as I arrived, I saw my father in front of him. Sephiroth killed him as though he were nothing more than a bug… a nuisance. In that instant, I knew everything had changed. Something in me had turned, and I hated somebody for the first time. I wanted to kill Sephiroth for what he had taken from me. And I tried… and Sephiroth nearly killed me."

Reno didn't say anything for a while. He had known what had transpired that night in Nibelheim. All of the Turks had read the reports filed on it. But he had never heard anybody who had lived through it talk about it. It certainly put things in a new perspective, and after hearing that, he could see how somebody who had gone through what Tifa had been through would hate Shinra and anybody who worked for him.

"You didn't have to tell me that," he said softly.

"I know I didn't. But I wanted to."

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," Tifa said. "You don't have to apologize."

"I know I didn't," he said, smiling at her. "But I wanted to."


	12. Complications

**Tengoko: I have not forgotten about this story! I promise! I think things should be calming down with my job now, which means I'll be able to devote more time to pursuing what I love most: writing. I have missed Reno and Tifa, and it felt so good to write them again. I think this may be the one thousandth time I've apologized for taking so long with updating the chapters, but I am sorry to those I have kept waiting. As always, this chapter is dedicated to all of you, and I hope you enjoy it.**

**Chapter 12: Complications**

Reno sat against the wall, his head lulled back with an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. In his hands, he repeatedly flipped open and closed his PHS, his mind playing with the thought of calling Rufus or Tseng to update them. At the very least, to let them know that he would have to ask for a few extra days to tack on to the already lagging schedule. Straightening his legs out, he leaned forward and decided to settle upon a text to Tseng who could relay the message for him. Short and simple – explaining Tifa's condition and what his plan was to see to her care. Then he set the phone down between his legs and rubbed his face with his hand. His goggles had slid down earlier, now hanging at his neck. The jacket he'd removed, the belt loosened. He might as well try to get as comfortable as possible.

His PHS rang about a minute or two later. He looked down as it vibrated across the floor towards his feet. For a moment, he entertained the thought of _not_ answering it. After all, his text had implied that he would be busy for a while. But, he did know that not answering would bring a lot more hell upon his head than he was willing to deal with. Flipping it open again, he pressed it to his ear and then let the cigarette fall out of his mouth into his waiting palm. "Yo," he said casually, trying to hide the weariness in his voice.

"You realize how this is going to look to Rufus Shinra?" Tseng asked.

"I've considered that. But, my orders were specific. Get Tifa to Midgar alive and well. I can't very well let her go dying of pneumonia, now can I?"

He could hear him sighing and talking with somebody in the distance. The voice that responded sounded an awful lot like Rude. He wondered if Elena was with them as well. "How the hell did she get pneumonia?"

"Oh… that reminds me. I had to kill our escorts. Nothing to concern yourself with. They just had some difficulty following orders. I figured I was doing a favor to Shin-Ra to just hand them their pink slips… so to speak." He hoped Tseng would leave it at that. And for the most part, he did despite the usual lecture about paper work and cover ups. But that's what they did, wasn't it? If anybody could cover up the not so tragic deaths of two unimportant Shin-Ra troopers, it would most certainly be the Turks. "We did run into some car troubles…" he lied. "And it was raining. That probably had something to do with her getting sick. Hell, I don't know, Tseng. I'm not a doctor. I have no fucking clue how she got pneumonia."

"I want an update as soon as there's a change."

"Yes, sir," he said. "Oh… one more thing…" And then he hesitated. It was probably the right thing to do to tell him about Cloud. The whole point behind this was to use Tifa as bait for him. Rufus would be pleased to know that their plan was seemingly working. Even so, Reno found himself unable to speak the words. "Tell Rufus Shinra that I'm not a damn baby-sitter, and next time he needs somebody to play nanny, to send Elena to do it."

"No. I think I'll keep that to myself and grant you the pleasure of pissing him off yourself. I've got to go Reno, so unless there's anything else…"

"Not a damn thing," Reno said. He hung up and tossed the PHS back onto the floor before leaning down and digging his fingers into his hair. Gods, he was going to get his ass chewed out for this. That is, if they figure out that he withheld this information in the first place. He could always play dumb and pretend that the sighting never happened… Granted Tifa had the sense not to rat him out. But why wouldn't she? What did she owe him? After all, she wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for the Turks. She had no obligation to him to be loyal. But why couldn't he tell Tseng? Damn it! Now was not the time for an attack of conscience… if that was indeed what this was. There was no way he did it for Cloud's benefit. Reno hated him… So then, why?

"Sir?"

Reno looked up at the man who had earlier helped carry Tifa in to the fort. Hurrying to his feet, he looked at him wide-eyed, waiting for the news he had. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Well… They've given her potions and are doing the best they can with the cure material, but right now, it's hard to say. She's been flitting in and out of consciousness. I don't see why you couldn't go in there and see her for yourself, though." He stood aside and let the tall, red-haired man pass him, looking him up and down as if to try to get a read on him. "Is she yours?" he asked.

Reno stopped at the door, his hand on the knob, and turned his head slowly to look back at him. "What do you mean is she mine?" In a sense of the word, yes, she was. She belonged to him right now, was his responsibility. But he had a feeling that's not what the man meant. "She's a friend… Nothing more."

Pushing the door open, he left the man standing there, not caring if he followed him in or not. The woman standing beside the bed blocked his view of Tifa, but he was not sure if that was a bad thing. She had not looked so good when they'd brought her in, her skin pale, her body shaking, her forehead damp with sweat. He had never seen her like that before, never thought he would ever see somebody like her in such a weakened state. It was a sight he was still trying to process.

"Oh," the woman said, turning around to look at him, the familiar green materia glowing in her hands. Reno locked eyes with her, seeing like-colored eyes, the signs of mako exposure evident. Just looking at her told Reno that she was not from around Fort Condor… Possibly from Midgar judging by her clothes. Passing through, maybe? "I didn't hear you come in. I suppose you've been updated? She's doing much better than she was when she was first brought in, but she may need a few more days rest before she's completely well again."

Reno nodded slowly. "Thank you for your help."

"Don't mention it, sir," she said, walking towards him and handing him the materia. "You will probably find more use from it than I could. Besides, I have stayed here longer than I would have liked. I was supposed to be heading to Rocket Town."

"Business?" Reno asked absently, looking over her shoulder at Tifa, pleased to see that some color had returned to her cheeks. She still slept, her brow furrowed – a telling sign that her dreams were troubled. He moved around the woman, setting the materia down on the night stand and taking a seat on the bed next to her.

"You could say that," she said. "You really don't recognize me?"

Reno looked up at her again for only a second, but it was safe to say his attentions were elsewhere. "I figured you worked for Shin-Ra… At least at some point judging by your eyes. I hesitate to say you were in SOLDIER. It's not exactly an easy job path for women…" And that was true. One normally didn't find members of the fairer sex enlisting in such things. "So, I'm assuming then that you work closer to the top… Possibly intelligence?"

"Former employee," she said. "I used to work under Professor Hojo… Nothing fancy, mind. At the time I was much too young to be put on anything important. A lab tech if you want to get technical… A crazy man, but I still learned loads, to be sure."

Why this woman thought Reno cared was a mystery. So, he decided to ignore her… Maybe she would get the hint and go away. And after a minute or so of silence, she bade farewell and good luck, leaving them alone at last. Though, she at least could have closed the door behind her on her way out. With a groan, Reno got to his feet to do that, and as he turned around to go back to the bed, he saw Tifa's wine colored eyes open and looked straight at him.

"Tifa," he said, walking closer to the bed.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

"We're at Fort Condor. It was the closest place to where we were. You have pneumonia… They've been taking good care of you here, though. You will be better before you know it." He sat back down, his hand going to her forehead to brush away her bangs that were sticking to her skin. "How are you feeling?"

"I'd be feeling much better if I was in my own bed," she said.

He smiled, shaking his head slowly. "One bed is just as good as another."

"Not surprised to hear that coming from you."

"Ouch," he laughed, but the smile fell quickly once he realized that she was trying to sit up. "No! You need to just stay where you are. If you need something, let me know and I'll get it for you."

Tifa gave him a strange look, setting her head down on the pillow and saying, "Since when did you start getting all paternal? You should be more careful, Reno. You keep acting like that, and somebody might start thinking you actually care about me."

"Perish the thought," he said, letting his back rest against the headboard, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. Though, he thought, it would not be too far off the mark. Damn it, this mission needed to end soon. He _was_ starting to care about her… He was not in such denial that he could not see that. "It's just that this little detour has severely dragged out the duration of the mission. My superiors are not pleased… So the sooner you get better, the better it is for me."

She was quiet for the longest time, her fingers twisting locks of hair that fell over her chest. So many questions were swirling in her head, and she was so disoriented that she couldn't grasp on to one thought in particular. The most prominent question in her mind concerned why he had felt the need to see to her health in the first place? Pneumonia was certainly more serious than most other illnesses, but it's not like he could not have called Rufus to send a chopper to speed things along. That led her to wonder if perhaps Reno was taking a long time on purpose. That may be wishful thinking, though. Maybe it was just in her head that something was happening between them. She couldn't say what it was exactly. Still unable to admit that her feelings transcended what a person might feel for a friend, she at least thought some sort of bond was forming. It was just hard to put into words. So instead, she asked, "How long have we been here?"

"About a day," he said, the exhaustion in his voice evident. She looked up at him, could see that he was nodding off, his head slinking forward, his eyes drooping. But he seemed to notice then that he was falling to sleep, and his head shot up, his eyes widening, and he instantly rubbed his face with his hand.

"How long are we going to stay?"

"Until you are better. Move over…" He hadn't expected her to actually move without questioning why. And he was still surprised the words had come out of his mouth. He heard her groan when she lifted her head off of the pillow, no doubt feeling like her head was made of lead. Her eyes squinted as her sore muscles strained, and he instantly felt guilty for making her shift. But clearly she thought nothing of it, and she was lifting the blanket for him… Another surprise.

Kicking off his shoes and removing his belt, he slid into the blanket next to her, his head finding the pillow. "I really should bind you," he pointed out, his eyes looking at the belt on the floor where his handcuffs were attached.

"Yeah… I was wondering why you hadn't," she said honestly. Probably because she couldn't move without feeling like somebody was hitting the back of her head with a large hammer.

"Probably because you were unconscious, and I didn't think you'd get very far," he said with a bit of a chuckle in his voice. Turning onto his side, he moved his arm over her stomach, his hand gripping her just above her hip and pulling her closer. "I'm too lazy to get the cuffs. So this will have to do," he said.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Admit it, Reno… You're just looking for a reason to wrap your arms around me." Of course, she was teasing, but judging by the expression he now had, she didn't think he thought it was very funny. "Reno?" she started, staring up at him through her long lashes. "What is happening here?"

"What do you mean?" he whispered.

"Are we going to keep denying it…?"

"I thought we could for a little while longer."

"So… I'm not crazy to think _something_ is happening…"

"No…" But they were crazy for letting something happen. They both knew that.

"Doesn't this… complicate things…?"

She had no idea. Reno's hold on her tightened and she could feel her heart begin to beat faster. "It could just be in our heads, you know. Sometimes it happens… When you spend a lot of time with somebody and you're forced to be around them all of the time. Hell, there was one time Elena thought she had a crush on me… When we were on a mission at the Northern Crater and we were camping up there for three months. Sometimes the mind plays tricks on you…"

"You didn't answer my question," she said, seemingly ignoring what he'd just told her.

"I know… And it's not because I don't want to, Tifa… It's just that I don't have an answer for you. Not yet… So I guess the answer is, I don't know. Maybe it will… Maybe it already has…"

She would have to accept that for now. What other choice did she have? Tearing her eyes away from him, she looked down at the wrinkled shirt he wore, noticing that he was missing the top two buttons. For a moment, she wondered if he'd done that on purpose. He'd always had a haphazard way about dressing himself. She lifted her hand to touch his collar, her fingers moving down to where his first button was. As she popped it open, she heard him let out a deep breath, and she moved to the next one, and then the next one. When the shirt was, at last, completely unbuttoned, she glided her hand beneath the fabric, her fingers touching his warm, smooth skin.

"Tifa?" he whispered. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know," she said, her hand skimming over his back before tugging herself closer to him, her cheek nestling against his chest. She could hear the loud thrumming of his heart, and it was to that sound that she fell back to sleep.

But there would be no sleep for Reno. Not for a while, anyway. His mind was still reeling from what she had just done, trying to come up with a rhyme or reason for it. He played back the conversation they'd just had in his head, shocked that they'd actually addressed that something was going on. Now there would be no getting around it… He just wondered how the hell she seemed to be okay with it. When had she decided that this was all right…? Well he was glad at least one of them wasn't scared shitless…

He had no choice now. He had already crossed so many lines… But he could not cross that final one. He could not allow himself to feel for her. He _had _to get her to Midgar as soon as possible…


	13. Reflection

**Tengoko: I am so sorry for not updating this in a long time. I absolutely did not intend to leave this story untouched for as long as I had. Not to get too into it, I have had some serious medical issues that I needed to make my priority, and not even my original works were touched as I was focused on getting myself better. Thankfully, I've mostly recovered, and my writing muse has been yelling at me to do what I love doing the very most. So, hopefully this time things will go according to plan and I will be able to pay Moving the Unmovable the attention that it deserves.**

**In answer to some of you asking for me to post the original story up, I have dug up my old hard drive and am sorting through the documents to get them in order. I am not sure that I will post it here, but I will definitely make them accessible and once they are up, I'll provide the link both in my profile or in private messages to anybody who is interested. Just shoot me a message or an email. I'll have that up as soon as possible. That said, I'll shut up now so you guys can get your read on :) Enjoy! ~**

**Chapter 13: Reflection**

"Honestly, I'm not sure how you didn't see this coming," Tifa said, leaning against the buggy, her foot propped against the door and her face tilted up towards the sun. It painted a very nice picture, or would have, if Reno was not currently in the bowels of the buggy trying to spark it back to life. The thing had been working fine, the gas tank filled at Fort Condor, and for about an hour or so, it had been a smooth drive. And then it sputtered, jerking as if the car itself were hacking, and then it sputtered some more. Then died… the engine going sickeningly quiet… dead. They'd sat in silent disbelief, though by now they should have both assumed that everything and anything that could go wrong between here and Midgar was going to. Reno's muttered curses were what broke that silence, and they both more or less spilled out of the buggy as he popped the hood. Greeted with angry, black smoke and sweltering heat, he coughed and reared back, his red brows furrowing. And then he went back into the tangled mess of cords and hose, and had basically stayed there for the better part of two hours. "Any closer to being up and running?" she asked.

At last, Reno surfaced, his face smudged with what looked like dirt, his hands almost stained black from messing around in the messy mass of… Well, it could only be described as tangles. "I'm not even sure how this thing was operational before. It's like they didn't even inspect it before they shoved it at us." With a defeated sigh, he reached for the top of the hood and slammed it shut. "Grab only what you can carry. We're going to have to walk to the mines. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll catch a chocobo, but I think we're out of luck in that respect until we get to that farm."

Pushing herself off of the buggy, the expression she wore was an incredulous one, and her burgundy eyes followed him as he walked around to the other side to gather his things. "You're… not serious, are you? You know how long it will take us to get to the mines? And then there's the question of if we can even navigate through them with just the two of us. I'm not even properly equipped. And then, assuming we even get through all of that, we have to make it through the marshes. I just —"

"Tifa!" Reno snipped, his head poking up above the buggy to glare at her. "I have considered all of these things. We're just going to have to make due. I've got no signal here, I can't get a hold of anybody to send us a chopper or a buggy. So until we get through the marshes, we've got no other option."

She gritted her teeth, tugging the door open to reach inside for the bag Neco had given her. "We could walk back to the fort," she offered, taking another bag of supplies they'd gotten from Fort Condor. She just wished they'd stayed there longer. The people there had been so nice, and Reno had been… Well… She'd certainly been introduced to a completely different side. He was tender there. He behaved as one might expect a friend… or a partner. Whether to perpetuate the illusion that they were close so as not to raise any suspicions or if because he had been earnest in his hesitant admissions of his feelings towards her she wasn't sure. But she had noticed that even without others around to witness how he treated her, he had not yet resorted to the cruelty or the callousness she'd seen before in him.

"The mines are closer. We can probably get there around midnight if we make good time. But in order to do that, we need to stop talking about it and get going." Walking around to her, he looked into the car and then back at her to ask, "Got everything you need?"

"I think so."

"Fantastic. Let's get going."

It was not that Tifa minded walking. It just was not exactly her preferred mode of transportation. And that they would likely be walking for the rest of the day, knowing she only had to look forward to a few hours sleep on the floor of a cave was not exactly proper incentive to light a fire under her butt either. Reno would not let her drag, though, and every time her pace became too slow for his tastes, he would turn and take hold of her wrist, pulling her along to keep up with his strides. Though, after a while, even Reno began to slow, the heat just too much to keep at the constant speed they'd been moving at. "Reno…" she whined, digging her feet into the dirt as though they would act as an anchor of sorts, she finally got the red-head to stop. "Can we please just… rest… For at least fifteen minutes. I'm thirsty and tired."

Reno frowned and started to drop his bags. "Never pegged you as the type to whine so well, babe. Here," he said, reaching into one of the bags for a bottle of water to hand to her. "We'll take ten. But then we have to get moving again. Better than nothing, right?"

Normally she might have said something scathing in response, but she really was thankful for the concession. Taking the water, she drained half the bottle, wondering if she needed to worry about conserving it. But Reno did not get after her for it, so she assumed he'd gotten enough to last them longer. With a bit of a dramatic groan, she plopped down onto her bag of clothes, her legs stretching out in front of her, the burn at the soles of her feet alleviating just slightly. It was after she settled herself more comfortably that she looked back at Reno, watching as he was getting adjusted on top of one of his bags as well. His mind seemed faraway… and truth be told, he'd been uncharacteristically quiet the entire walk.

"Are you all right?" she asked, drawing his attention to her, his gaze lingering for a moment before he seemed to relax again.

"I'm just tired…" he admitted. "I would be lying if I told you I was not looking forward to getting back to Midgar. I've not had a proper night's sleep since…" He stopped and looked down at the tip of his scuffed boot. He had not considered how the sentence would end when he began it, but he wished he had. The look in her eyes had been telling. She knew very well when the last time he slept well was, and it corresponded exactly with the same day he'd taken her. "I just get grumpy when I'm tired is all. I'm sure you've noticed…" he added, trying to lighten things up with a forced chuckle.

It hadn't worked. He leaned forward a bit when he saw her bow her head, her eyes taking on a quality he had not seen before. Uncertain of why he was compelled to move closer to her, he got up, ignoring the protest of his aching muscles, and then sat on the dirt beside her, his elbow resting on her bag. But he said nothing. Did nothing else. Just… stayed close. It was all he knew to do, and even this was foreign to him.

"I told myself… that after what happened last year… that I would never go back to Midgar. I sold my bar and washed my hands of it… And now here I am… about to go back. And the thought of it makes me sick to my stomach. I know you want to go home. So do I. But Midgar is not my home. It has not been my home for a long time. Sometimes I wonder if it ever was." She turned her head towards him, seeing that he was looking right up at her, those sharp, turquoise staring… almost as if they could see right through her. "To say I can't go back because of the memories… That almost seems to be a disservice to everybody else. I don't think it is right of me to assume I am the only person who lost a lot in Midgar… But, I do not think it's too much for me to say that after the last time… Rufus Shinra… The things he did…"

She saw the instant change in his posture, in his eyes. He sat up straighter, the look narrowing. "Last time? Tifa… what are you…? What do you mean?"

Her smile was small, her eyes were sad, almost tearful, and she reached up to touch his cheek, the contact as jarring to him as her words had been. But all too distracting. He exhaled loudly, his own hand reaching up to cover hers, holding it there as he turned his lips to her palm, brushing them over her skin. "I did not expect to feel anything for you, Reno…" she confessed. "Even now, looking on it, I'm not entirely sure how it happened. Everything about you has taken me by surprise, and were this any other situation… any other time… I might have explored my feelings for you. But in this situation… at this time… I have to look out for me. I have to protect myself, to preserve what dignity I have left and to resist. I hold still that you will be returning to Midgar alone. I will find a way."

He had not missed she deflected. There was an answer to his question, and he knew that it was not going to be one he would like. But he wondered if she would ever answer it. Like there were things he could not talk about, perhaps this was one thing that she couldn't. He might have brought it up again. Bringing it back to the forefront so he could sate his curiosity. But… her words had shifted his focus. "I… it's… it's complicated…" he began. "I don't know what to do about any of this. But I do know that just as you must worry about self-preservation, I must do the same. In another time, we might have given this a shot. Though, I'm mostly convinced we are a terrible idea. Perhaps the worst. Regardless… it is as you have stated. This is a special circumstance, and we find ourselves on opposite sides… again. I have my duty… and that duty is to see that I do not return to Midgar alone. And because it's not just my job on the line, but my own well-being… then I still hold that I will stop you at any cost if you try to run."

"So this is our impasse…"

"It would seem that way, yes." Reno let his fingers trail down to her wrist, encircling it, staring at the marks that'd been left by ropes and cuffs. "I suppose I should bind you… Now that we know exactly where we stand."

"And I suppose that now that I'm unbound, I should try to subdue you." Letting her hand move higher to run through his feather soft hair, she said almost absently, "You can count on me sticking around until we get through the marshes. I may be intent on saving myself, but what kind of person would I be if I just left you to wander the mines on your own…? You'd get yourself killed…"

Reno chuckled. "Ah. So you're only doing the noble thing, I see." He wondered if it was the truth or if she really was willing to risk not getting away to see him safely through the marshes. It seemed… stupid. He would never do that for anybody. If they'd forcibly taken him, his last thought would be of their safety. But to be fair… Tifa was not Reno. Tifa had morals… and a sense of honor. He had not had use of either of those things in the longest time.

"It is the least I could do," she said, pulling away from his slightly, still feeling the warmth of his touch on her hand. "You did make sure that I didn't get killed by your troopers. And that's to say nothing of the care you gave when I was ill."

He said nothing to that. His reluctance to actually bind her made him decide to take her at her word. He hoped he would not regret that later. "Well then, we should get going," he said, his tone lighter now than before. All this heavy talk… He'd never done it until he began talking with Tifa… He was surprised it had not given him indigestion. Helping her to stand, he went to gather the bags he'd deposited, lost in his own mind when he heard her call his name. "What?" He stood and turned, looking first at her and then behind her where, in the distance, he could see a group of about ten men coming towards them. On foot, but bearing far too little to have walked all this way, Reno wondered exactly just how they got here…

Whereas Tifa seemed a little more comforted by the prospective company of others, she lifted her hand to wave to them, to get their attention, but before she had it all the way up, Reno's shot out to grab it, pulling it back down. "We have go. Now!"

"What… Reno? What's going on?"

"Bandits… Hurry…"

It must have been their haste to gather their things, but once the men saw them preparing to leave, they began to run, closing the gap between them more and more. Reno groaned and dropped his bags, reached for his electro-mag rod, whipping it out to the side to extend it as he gave Tifa a significant look. She did not have any gloves, but that did not mean she was not able to defend herself if need be. Reaching for the gun on his holster, he considered how many bullets he had and then left it alone. He needed to conserve his ammo… Had been shooting far too many troopers…

"Well, babe… it looks like we get to fight after all…"


	14. Revisiting the Pillar

**Chapter 14: Revisiting the Pillar**

Tifa was still replaying the scene in her mind, even as they hurried towards the mouth of the cave. The men they'd left behind… As if it were still unfolding before her eyes, she saw Reno flick a flaming ash off of the end of his cigarette as the bandits neared, standing with a casual and somewhat aloof pose, the only sign of alertness being the sharpness of his turquoise eyes. He replaced his gun in his holster, but she hadn't known why. Perhaps he'd thought that they were not worth wasting the bullets on, that there would soon be more worthy enemies along their intended path. The Mythril Mines weren't for the faint of heart after all. But he kept his Electro-mag rod out, positioned on his shoulder as he lightly tapped his jacket with it, making the faintest of sounds that could just be heard over the dull howl of the wind. And once the men were within shouting distance, Reno had warned them to stop. And they had, but she didn't think it had anything to do with the command.

Their demands were simple enough. Gil, materia, potions, and some time with the lady. None of these demands were suitable to either of them, so the fight was inevitable. Reno hadn't given much thought to a rebuttal. After discarding the cigarette completely, throwing it into the dry grass, he sprung forward, taking the largest of the men by surprise. The others seemed stunned by his quickness to attack, and Tifa took that opportunity to rush at them too, her focus on the bandit nearest to her, her fist connecting with his jaw, striking the nerve which rendered him unconscious almost immediately. By now, the advantage they'd gained with the initial charge had passed and the bandits began to fight back. Reno was still contending with the big man, so Tifa busied herself with the others.

Rough looking men, with unnaturally dark-red skin, a tone that spoke of too much time in the sun, they had pearly white teeth and a snarl that could put even Cid's to shame. But they were green when it came to fighting. Men used to getting what they wanted by force, brute strength alone, but no finesse and no ability to adapt to a fighting style. Tifa had tougher time catching chocobos than she had dealing with this bunch. Only one seemed like a true threat, and it was the man Reno had chosen. One of the men had come up behind him, but the Electro-mag rod easily found his side, sending a jolt of electricity through him, and the man landed hard on his back.

Tifa reached for one of the other men, ducking beneath his backhand and letting her fist bury into his stomach, leaving him heaving for air. Turning, her foot landed square on the chest of the other man which resulted in him flying back a few feet, landing hard on his side. He rolled back and forth, but did not get back up. She moved to help Reno, but he had snapped at her to stay back, dodging fists and bobbing beneath arms that were more like tree trunks. He'd gone to the ground to avoid a hit, but before he could get up, his opponent was reaching down for him. Tifa gasped when the man managed to get his hands on Reno, lifting him off the ground, and the Turk struggled for a bit, but it was when she saw the wicked grin that she knew he had at least one more trick up his sleeve. He let fly a handful of dirt he'd grabbed as he'd been torn into the air, the debris landing in the man's eye causing him to cry out and drop him. Reno wasted no time capitalizing on the opening, shoving the rod against the side of his neck and letting the jolts flow through him, watching as the man convulsed before he collapsed.

Before she could even digest what had happened, they were moving again, away from the scene and closer towards the mines. Signs of exhaustion were gone, the adrenaline still pumping through their veins, and it wasn't until they were within seventy yards of the entrance to the mines that the burning in Tifa's calves became too intense to ignore. She knew better than to complain, though. Perhaps she _had_ become the perfect model of how a hostage ought to act. It was both amusing and disgusting at once.

It was not difficult to traverse the path of the mines. By now so many people had done it that the paths that were cut were clear to see… during the day when the sunlight shone through the holes that littered the ceiling of the cave. But now the moonlight was shrouded in a black curtain of clouds that sometimes opened up to drizzle light rain. The sound of dripping water was going to make sleep difficult for them, but they'd at least found a raised spot where the water could not reach them, and Reno managed to gather enough dry materials to start a fire. A meager one that provided little warmth, but it was better than nothing.

She sat silent as he poked the flames, digging into her bag to see what food he'd purchased at the fort. If her rumbling stomach was any indication, she was famished. More hungry than she was tired, she would see to her grumbling belly before she saw to her nap. But even as she grabbed for a can of beans, hoping it either was a top you could rip off or that Reno had packed a can opener, her attention was drawn to him as he said her name. She set the can back in the bag and leaned forward, feeling the muscles in her back stretch pleasantly. "Yes, Reno?" she said at last, her fingers interlocking around her knees. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to say that you fought well back there. I mean, I knew you were a good fighter and all… I never doubted that. But… well, I guess what I am saying is… thank you. Thank you for helping me. I know you easily could have used that moment to run."

"I told you that I wasn't going to leave your side until you were through the marshes. It's a little insulting that you still doubt my word." Though her tone sounded far from upset.

"Why?" he questioned, turning to look at her, his eyes searching for something, but for what, Tifa wasn't sure. Reno himself wasn't quite sure, either. There were so many questions burning in his mind, questions he wasn't certain knowing the answer to would help. The answer might honestly complicate things more. As if things weren't already complicated. "I know you answered this. I know your reasons. But I don't understand why those are your reasons. I don't understand despite it all why you are still compelled to help me, to not run… when you know very well that I will do what it takes to make sure that you don't."

"You know the answer, Reno…" Tifa whispered, reaching her hand out. She only half expected him to come closer to take it, and so when he moved towards her as easily as if they'd been doing this for years, she could not quite hide how stunned she was. But with it came a sense of relief… and perhaps a bit of happiness. She stayed quiet as he settled by her side, resting his back against the wall of the cave, and once he seemed comfortable, she leaned against him, pulling his arm around her and snaking her arm around his waist. "You do know the answer, don't you?"

"I'm afraid I do…" he nodded, taking a deep breath. "And I don't think I understand that, either."

"Hells if I do," she laughed, adjusting herself so that she could look up at him. "Makes one want to curse one's circumstances, doesn't it? But, there it is. Despite everything, I have come to care for you. A great deal, in fact. It makes this running away business a bit difficult. What makes it harder is that sometimes you have this look in your eyes. This look that tells me you're just as eager to take me to Midgar as I am to go there." When he didn't say anything, she pressed further. "You question your job. Neco was right. Even now I can see the battle that is going on inside of you. You don't know which instinct to trust. The duty you've conditioned yourself to adhere to, or what you feel for me."

"You are too insightful for your own good, babe," Reno said, moving away a bit, forcing Tifa to sit up. He bent his knees and leaned forward, covering his face in his hands. "A Turk isn't supposed to question things. Ever. You know that… I know that. Everybody knows that. But the more I do this… the more it becomes second nature. To do what they tell me to do. To complete every task no questions asked. It has become easier to bear the guilt of it… Until finally there was no guilt at all. That is until…" He turned his head from her, his shoulders slumping.

"I never wanted to drop that damned plate…" he said through gritted teeth. "You think that's something somebody wants on their hands? To be known for killing hundreds of innocent civilians? It was different in Wutai. There was a war. Collateral was bound to happen. But this was not a war. This was a message to a small group of people… I tried to justify that it was not my fault. That it was Cloud's. That it was Barret's. That if they'd just stopped blowing up the damned reactors, nobody would have had to die. President Shinra was just doing what he had to do, and the blood of all of those people was on their hands. Not mine. I was just the messenger."

Tifa shook her head, her stomach churning as this all spilled out. She'd wondered more than once how he'd been able to live with himself after the plate had dropped. How she had hated him for what he'd done. Her friends… her neighbors… all crushed beneath it. She supposed now she understood a bit more… but it was still the bit that made her pull away from him. To forgive him for what he'd done went against everything she had vowed. But then Reno had been just a monster. A puppet. It was easier to hate him then.

"And now? Do you still believe that now?"

Reno sighed. "I don't think I believed it then. I just convinced myself that I did."

"Why didn't you just…"

"Just what?" he interrupted. "Told them I wasn't going to do it? Fucked it up so that the bomb didn't take out the pillar? I thought of all of those things. Ways to screw up. But they knew me. They knew I wouldn't screw up. That's why they picked me. If I'd messed up, they would have known right away that I'd done it on purpose. And then it would have been my ass in a coffin. And I'm sorry, babe. Not all of us are brave and selfless. Not all of us could easily put our lives after the lives of others. I wish it had not been true. That I could have seen the honor in sacrificing my life for the life of hundreds or even one. But that just wasn't the case. I wasn't willing to die. I was too afraid to die. My whole life has been about surviving. And that's what I was doing."

Tifa's brow furrowed. "That… That is the saddest thing I think I've ever heard. And the most selfish."

"I never claimed to be a saint, babe," Reno said, trying to sound unfazed by her words. "And as it stands, it doesn't matter why I did or didn't do it one way or another. The plate dropped… I can't change that it happened. I just… have to try… to be better…" He smiled sadly. "The truth… I don't even remember detonating the bomb. I don't remember a lot of it. They said I got hurt when I jumped off of the pillar when they came to retrieve me. That I'd hit my head and that's why I can't remember…"

"You don't remember any of it?"

"I didn't say that. I remember running into you. I remember leaping from the pillar… But… before that… and after that… Not a damned thing."

"And here you are again," she began.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Here you are faced with another hard decision. Perhaps not as hard as dropping a pillar onto hundreds of people, but a hard decision nonetheless. You can choose to save your own ass… To deliver me to Rufus Shinra and uphold your reputation as a ruthless and efficient Turk who only looks out for himself and nobody else. Or… you can do the honorable thing, the right thing. You want to try to be better? Start now. Start here."

Reno chuckled, but there was no humor in his voice. Even Tifa could hear that much. "They will kill me, you know. And for what? Rufus Shinra isn't going to kill you, Tifa. He's not that stupid."

"There are other ways. Other options. You don't have to be a Turk, Reno. You could leave them… hide from them. Go against them. We could protect you."

"I could never…" Reno finally looked back at her, the sadness clear in his eyes. "I could never go against the Turks, Tifa. Twisted as it might seem. But they are as much my family as your friends are to you. Rude has been like a brother to me, Tseng like a mentor. That's where the real dilemma lies. You are asking me to pick between you and my family."

Tifa bowed her head. "And you are denying me the choice." Reaching up to twirl her fingers through her hair, she got to her knees and turned her burgundy eyes towards the flames. "Every rational fiber in my body screams at me to hate you," she confessed. "I keep telling myself that you and what you stand for are the reason for my unhappiness. Shin-Ra robbed me of my father, they drove Cloud away, they have come together collectively to try to rip everything away from me that matters… and they destroyed my home, forced me to make a new one, and then made sure I could never go back to it again. I want to hate you… And I did hate you…"

"That makes more sense," he admitted. "I would question it less if you did. You should hate me. For everything I did. I don't understand why you don't. Why don't you?"

"Because the more I learn about you, the more I have come to hate those who have made you this way more. I see you, I think, in a way that nobody else has seen you. You aren't the monster that I thought you were. There's something… I don't know what it is… but something is telling me you are not what I thought you were. That there's more to you than that."

He leaned back again and let his gaze wander to the top of the cave where the fire threw strange shadows upon it. "You should be careful when you gaze into the darkness, babe. Because it might gaze right back. I'm exactly the man you thought me to be. I have killed people. Innocent people. And I know I'll do it again. I put my job before everything else, and I always will. Stop looking at me if you think you see more than there is… Because I can't live up to that. And I will only ever disappoint you if you expect me to be anything more than I am."

Tifa could have cried then. Her eyes glistened with the unshed tears, and she moved again, closer to him. Hands going to his shoulders, she held him against the wall, meeting his questioning eyes with her determined stare and then moved one leg over him sitting astride his lap. Leaning forward, she pressed her body to his, her hands moving up the sides of his neck to grasp his cheeks, pulling him closer to her, bringing his lips to hers.

Reno wasn't sure what was happening. He had thought perhaps he'd finally gotten through to her. Had persuaded her to stop trying to make something of what was going on between them. And then she was on top of him, every instinct shouting at him to react, but his mind was stuck, rendering him numb for a moment. And then her lips touched his and Reno groaned as if in pain, his hands going to her waist. A tentative touch… then another groan, and the hesitancy turned to deliberation, his arms encircling her as he surrendered. Her lips parted, and he gave in to the urge to deepen the kiss. The sigh she let out as a result was his undoing.

"You make no sense," he muttered, breaking this kiss, drawing in a long breath as his hand secured her against him in preparation for his next move. He got up, laying her back and settling on top of her, between her legs.

Tifa was panting, her cheeks red as her eyes, her fingers trembling ever so slightly as they ran through the shorter part of his hair. "You make no sense, either," she countered, biting her lip as his lips moved to her throat. Her legs came around him, pulling him closer, and when he began to move against her… Gods, Tifa's eyes clenched shut as one hand slammed against the ground, fingers digging into the rock and dirt. "Reno…"

Could he have done anything else? She was so beautiful. And she was kissing him like she wanted him. The sounds she made, sounds he had heard before but most definitely not from her. And that it was from her… it awakened an urge that was both carnal and far from it. He didn't understand the second bit. He actually didn't understand any of it, and to be frank, the more he explored it, the less familiar it seemed. But it was becoming less frightening at least.

"We should stop…" he said breathlessly.

"Why?"

"Because this isn't right…"

"It feels right…" she argued, her arms locking around him, holding him to her.

"It feels… more than right. I… I want to, Tifa. I really do. And maybe one day we will. But not here. Not like this…"

They both knew that he was at least right about that. A cave floor was not exactly the ideal place to carry out their passion, and tilting her head to the side as if to look at the dirt, she wrinkled her nose and sighed heavily. Her hands went slack and she released him, her feet planting on the floor as she tried to scoot away from him, missing the warmth of his closeness almost instantly.

"I need to go… for a walk…" Reno said, his legs shaky as he stood forcing him to use the rock wall for leverage.

"A walk? It's freezing, Reno. And it's raining."

"That's more or less the point," he said with what Tifa almost could call a shy smile, but shy just didn't seem to fit when describing him. "Try to get some sleep. I won't be gone long."

Jamming his hands into his pockets, he retreated further and further into the darkness, leaving Tifa sitting by the fire alone and still trying to make her mind catch up. Maybe it was still sluggish from the illness, but damn, she'd felt alert not a few moments ago. Gods, her blood still felt like it was on fire. A deep breath, and then she grabbed for her bag of clothes and positioned it so that she could use it as a pillow. She curled her legs closer, wrapping her arms around herself to try to stay warm, her burgundy eyes watching the amber flecks dance above the fire.

She had a lot to think about. The things he'd just told her. She never thought that this was a conversation she would ever share with him. To talk about that which she had held against him. Perhaps even now. How did one go about forgiving a person for something like that? What was surprising was that for the first time, Tifa found that she wanted to try, at least. That wasn't forgiveness, but it was a start. Still… what kind of person did this make her? She could have easily just lost herself with him… How was that not like shaming the memory of those she knew who had died because of what he had done?

But it wasn't him. It couldn't have been Reno. Had she not been there to see it for herself, she never would have fully believed that he had been the one to do it. Maybe Tseng or Rude. Hells, even Elena if only to prove her worth to the Turks. But there was clearly a ruthlessness to him… One he showed in spades then… and one she saw glimmers of every so often now. And yet, it seemed not like him.

She rolled onto her back and draped her arm over her eyes. There had to be more to it than what was on the surface. And as much as Tifa wanted to uncover the truth of the man who she had become… fond of… she did know that if he did complete his mission… if he could acknowledge what he felt for her and still deliver her to Rufus Shinra… then forgiveness would be completely out of the question. But… there was still time… For now… she would sleep, unaware that even now she was being watched... and not by Torquoise eyes.


	15. Before We Turn to Stone

**Chapter 15: Before We Turn to Stone**

"_He seems pretty well adjusted," Rude said quietly, leaning back in the chair with his arms folded across his chest. They were seated at the very back of the lecture hall, their tablets out in front of them as if they were merely students taking notes. Both men were even dressed the part. For once, Rude had abandoned his trademark sunglasses, removed his earring, and was dressed in a simple red t-shirt and faded blue jeans. He looked a bit old too be a student, but at this level, nobody thought much of it. Reno wore a navy blue shirt, dark jeans, and a knitted gray beanie to hide his red hair. He had been leaning forward, interested in the lecture, much to his surprise._

"_It'd be difficult to say with confidence in our report until we've done a full investigation. But yes… first glance, he does seem to be rather… normal. I can't help but wonder if I've seen him before." There was something oddly familiar about Dr. Manning. They'd received the report on their desks that strange complaints were being made against him. Disturbing complaints, the details of which were all included in the write up of the man. Things that could make even two battle hardened and not exactly innocent men shudder. It didn't seem to match up, though. This man seemed harmless enough. He joked easily with his class, and the students, for their part, were very engaged in the lesson, asking questions frequently, laughing when he said something amusing. "I know that voice…" Reno said softly, mostly to himself as he searched his memory trying to place it._

"_I have the same feeling…" Rude admitted, sitting up a bit straighter._

"_Is there something you wish to share with the class?"_

_Both men inwardly groaned, but where Reno had just bowed his head, trying to avoid making eye contact with him, Rude had reacted quite differently, his eyes widening as he clumsily started to trip over his own tongue. "No… No! We were just… I mean… the lecture… we were… that is to say… no disrespect… Er… I hadn't heard what you said… So I… He was letting me copy his notes. Sorry…" he finished lamely, trying to ignore the urge to punch Reno who was stifling his laughter. He might have if Manning had moved on and turned his attention back to his slide, but in an instant, Reno seemed to compose himself and his hand shot up in the air._

"_I have a question, actually," Reno began. "You were talking about repetitive teaching… What exactly do you mean by that?"_

_Manning seemed to smile at the question, and he stepped forward, reaching up to remove his glasses. "Yes, yes… It's not unlike Pavlov's dog. Teaching it to salivate when a bell rings. The human brain is not so different. We can condition it to react automatically to certain stimuli, making it bypass unnecessary processes. In theory, under the right conditions, we can teach a person to behave a certain way, to do certain things. Science is already well underway to perfecting the method… But as you can imagine, the concept can be rather frightening. The implications, however, are too enticing to push aside completely."_

_Reno's brow furrowed as he considered what had just been said. "By unnecessary processes… you mean this conditioning would discount deliberation? A person would act before thinking? Doesn't that sound… dangerous to you?"_

"_In some instances, yes…" Manning replied, his smile fading slightly. "But in others, it proves to be hugely beneficial."_

"_Perhaps I just need an example to understand," Reno urged._

"_An example? Yes… yes, I have the perfect example. Imagine a soldier… Would it not prove more to the soldier's benefit if we could eliminate fear and doubt, things which we can both agree would negatively impact his ability to do his job? In addition, what repetitive teaching can do is allow the soldier to react without hesitation. These are precious seconds that have been proven to save lives."_

"_Proven…? So repetitive teaching is already being put into practice?" This sounded far too fitting. He could even see how Rude seemed troubled by this. It explained so much… Genesis, Sephiroth, Cloud… How they could just accept one reality, behave accordingly to it, and become what Shin-Ra classified as perfect soldiers. How would any of these examples prove the benefits of repetitive teaching? When the effects wore off and the subjects learned the truth, that the lives they had adopted and the reality they had conformed to was a lie, they broke and lost their minds? And how could they be blamed? Their minds had never been theirs to begin with._

_Manning was no longer smiling. "You make it sound like it's a common practice, son," he said with a small chuckle. "Yes, yes. So far, repetitive teaching has only been performed in controlled environments using willing participants. The reports are public domain if you wish to look into it a bit more. You will find that it is not so terrible. Repetitive teaching is not unlike nurture… Many of your own beliefs and ideals were formed through learning, through experience. In almost all cases, one believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them. Yes, yes."_

_Reno's eyes narrowed, but he didn't say much after that. Rude reached for his tablet, typing hurriedly, perhaps making notes on the professor that Reno would look over later. He was too busy trying to wrap his mind around it. It made sense in some ways, but then, it also made sense to the characters in the book that Manning had just quoted from. They had a similar practice in it, too, only it was called sleep teaching. Surely the professor saw the connection which, in his mind, made it all the more disturbing._

_When he finally dismissed the class, Reno and Rude took their time appearing as if they were just getting their things together. When the last of the students finally trickled out, they made their way down the steps towards the professor who was gathering his slides into his bag. He didn't seem surprised at being approached. In fact, he didn't even stop doing what he was doing to look at them or acknowledge that they were there. Reaching into his pocket, Rude removed his sunglasses and put them back on before his hand shot out to grab the top of Manning's bag, preventing the man from putting anything else inside._

"_Digressing so quickly, Mr. Davis? And here I thought we were getting along so well."_

_Rude's brows knitted together, and without a word, he knocked the bag off the table and reached forward to grab Manning by the collar of his shirt. "Do you think I have any problem killing you right here?"_

_Manning laughed, putting up no effort to resist. "No. You would have no trouble, I think. Yes, yes… Most people would, you know? Have trouble. But you… you would kill me without a moment's hesitation. Wouldn't even think back on it with any measure of guilt. Was it always this way, Mr. Davis? Could you always kill without feeling?"_

_Reno's hands began to tremble, and wanting nothing more than the man to shut up, he reached for his gun and pressed it against Manning's temple. "You know why we're here. So start talking," he demanded._

"_There's no need to get violent, Mr. Storm. I know exactly why you are here. Because of my studies on the effects of pain on the brain. I know some of my colleagues have put forth formal complaints. But I do assure you, Mr. Davis and Mr. Storm, that everything I'm doing is legal. I am well within my rights, and not to mention, I have been privately funded by President Shinra himself. Yes, yes. In fact, if you let me go and step back so we can have a proper and civil conversation, I won't even tell him about this little misunderstanding."_

"_If you were being funded by the president, we wouldn't be here," Rude hissed, his grip not loosening._

"_Come now, my boy… Do you honestly believe that the president tells you everything?" Then in a different tone, much softer but much more unsettling he said, "I could fill a library with the things he's kept from the two of you. Yes, yes."_

* * *

"Damn…" Reno muttered, his eyes opening slowly as he tried to take in his surroundings. It was dark, but his eyes had long before adjusted to it, and though he could not see clearly, he could make out the path and the rocks. He had just sat down for a moment to try to gather his thoughts. Falling asleep had not been part of that plan. Slowly, he got to his feet, cursing again when he felt something cold and wet on his leg. His pants had gotten wet near his shoes…. He hoped that Tifa had kept up with the fire so that he could try to dry them before they started out again. He had a few hours yet. There was no way he was going to contend with the marshes in the dark of night.

As he got closer to where they'd settled, he could see the dull glow of the fire. Tifa appeared to be asleep, covered with his jacket. He knelt beside the fire, poking at it with one of the sticks he'd found to try to keep it going. He blew at the end of it when the fire had stuck to it, and he set it back down so that he could sit back. His hand slipped on the slick ground, and normally it would not have been a big deal, nor would it have been terribly important that when his hand did slip it accidentally hit Tifa's ankle. It was only that she didn't move at all… That her ankle didn't feel much different from the rocks he'd just been sleeping against.

Reno turned, reaching out to shake her, and only then did he feel that she was solid, immovable. Like a statue. He bolted towards her, ripping his jacket from her body. "Tifa?" he managed to say, though his voice came out as a breathless plea. Her eyes were open… not blinking… wide in surprise. And around her eyes he saw the tell-tale sign. The graying as it stretched out over her face, down her cheeks and towards her throat. "No… no, no, no," he said frantically, getting up and diving for the bag he'd gotten from Fort Condor. "Gods, be a soft. Please let there be a soft," he begged, throwing out all manner of supplies until he finally found, nestled at the bottom, what he was looking for.

He wheeled around to administer it and was greeted by the loud, and deafening hiss of the lizard-esque creature. It had probably come back to investigate the noise, or perhaps to seek the warmth of the fire. Either way, it was standing right at Tifa's head, crouching over it like a predator over a fresh kill. And those seconds where it registered in Reno's mind what had happened had been all the creature needed to begin it's hypnosis… to cast it's spell. Already, Reno could feel his feet grounding to the dirt and despite how he tried, he couldn't move them. The pressure increased, moving slowly up his legs to his knees.

There was no more time for thought. If he didn't act, he would soon be little more than a statue, and how could a statue help Tifa. He knew that one didn't have very long after turning to stone before they suffocated. And he had no idea how long she'd been like that… Reaching for his gun, he fired, hitting the beast square between the eyes. The same instant it fell, he felt the pressure vanish and he fell forward from having tried to compensate for it. He didn't bother getting to his feet after that. Crawling to her, he poured the soft over her, watching the pink glow start soft and then grow brighter as it spread over her entire body.

She went slack, but she still didn't move. Reno leaned forward, trying to hear a breath or see her chest rise. Looking for any evidence that she was still alive. "Come on, Tifa… breathe!" He moved forward, his lips covering hers to breathe for her, his fingers going to her throat to try and find a pulse. It was there… faint and slow, but still there. And getting stronger by the second. He leaned back, his eyes looking straight into hers, waiting… hoping. And then she drew in a breath, and then another.

He let out a heavy sigh before leaning forward again, his lips going to her forehead. "Oh gods, I thought… You almost… Never do that again, Tifa… Ever," he ordered.

She didn't move at first. It was not that she was confused or trying to get her mind to catch up. Even under the spell, she could see everything. Could hear everything. It was mostly because she still felt heavy. She'd been turned to stone before. It was something that went with the territory of exploring Gaia and encountering dangerous creature after dangerous creature. It was one of the reasons people were always encouraged to not travel alone. And having been turned to stone before, she knew it would take a few moments to feel up to moving.

"I was… about to sleep… I heard a noise. When I opened my eyes… it was just right there… I feel…" She took a deep breath and lifted her hand to her forehead, closing her eyes tight. "I feel embarrassed. I should not have dropped my guard like that. I know better… Why did I allow that to happen?" She opened her eyes and put her hand on his shoulder, her fingers clutching his shirt so she could pull herself to sit up.

"It's my fault," Reno said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I shouldn't have been gone for so long. I should have been here to keep watch. I'm so sorry, Tifa… If I hadn't come back when I did… If I'd stayed away longer…" He looked away, his mind playing every possible scenario out in horrifying detail. He only looked back when her hand came to his cheek and her thumb stroked his skin, wiping at something wet. He was surprised to find that it had been a tear. His tear… Had he been crying? How had he not noticed that?

"But you did come back… And I am all right," she assured him, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss to his lips. "Careful there, Reno… I'm beginning to think you care more about me than you've admitted," she teased.

"Shut up," he laughed, taking her cheeks between his hands and kissing her again. "You know… I could make a career out of saving your ass," he said, a bit of the edge finally vanishing from his tone. "Imagine that…"

"What's the going rate?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. "I wouldn't quit your day job, Reno… It's kind of hard picturing you in shining armor up on a white horse. You're not really the type."

"You couldn't afford me," he said with a grin.

"Is that right? Well, Reno… let's see who's talking a big game after the marshes. The Midgar Zolom's not going to go down with just one bullet. It takes a bit more finesse, a bit more power. So, when I inevitably save your ass tomorrow, we can call it even. Sound like a deal?"

Reno didn't answer. He wasn't even smiling anymore. He was just looking at the fire, but Tifa knew better now than to assume that he hadn't heard her. She could see that he looked troubled. Conflicted. She moved to him, resting her head on his shoulder and pulling the jacket up to her chin. "Are you cold?" she asked.

"A little bit," he admitted. "Come to keep me warm, babe?" He had just been joking, but he didn't fight when she put her arms around him to nestle even closer, bringing the jacket over to cover them both as best it could. He smiled a bit then, his arm going around her, his fingers playing absently with her hair. "Tifa..? Before you mentioned something that's been… on my mind. A year ago, when you were in custody… what happened?"

"You don't know?" she asked, looking up at him. "I thought the Turks knew everything about what the president did."

He bit his bottom lip, stopping himself from saying the truth. It was important that people saw the Turks as having unlimited power and unlimited knowledge. That there was nothing that stood between them and doing their jobs. It was crucial that it seemed the president supported them in every move, and that they were privy to every secret. This had been an illusion they'd kept up for so long, and one that he had no business revealing now. And yet… "Maybe Tseng knows… but I don't. All I know is that you were being held… It was never my business to know." It really wasn't his business now, either… But things were different. He couldn't keep denying that.

Tifa pushed herself up, feeling his hand drop from her shoulder. She turned and reached for it, pulling her hand in front of her, her fingers entwining with his. His fingers were so long, so nimble. His fingernails were short, somewhat dirty but then so were hers, and beneath his thumb nail was a purple bruise. She gently rubbed her own thumb over it, trying to form her words in her head.

"They thought I knew something that I didn't know… They believed that I was keeping information to myself to protect people that I cared about. When I didn't tell Rufus what he wanted to hear, he approved certain methods be carried out to get the information he needed. I couldn't fight back. I was restrained and there was nothing I could do. I didn't see Rufus again after that… I don't know if he was aware of just how bad it became. But… I…" Her voice cracked and she gripped his hand harder without realizing it. "You know you've got some real sick people working for your company, right? That such a thing could happen to me… Who knows how many other people have had to go through it."

The change in her was instant. She tossed his hand aside and got up, pacing just in front of the fire, her hands balled into fists as if she was looking for a fight. Reno got up after her, but he didn't move from his spot. He just watched her, putting the pieces of it together. "You were tortured."

"It wasn't even that," she said, her feet stopping, kicking up some of the dirt from the ground. "Coercion was expected. Some pain… It was that he enjoyed it. Got off on it. He didn't torture me for information. He tortured me because he could. Because he wanted to. He was insane… He didn't ask questions. He didn't interrogate. He just…" She closed her eyes and shuddered. "If I ever see that man again... I told myself that I would kill him. He doesn't deserve to live. Men like Manning… they shouldn't be allowed to exist."

The blood seemed to drain from Reno's face, and he stepped closer to her, his jaw dropping slightly. "Wait… Who?"

"Gordon Manning… That's what Rufus called him. Some doctor or scientist. I'd never seen him before then… I've never seen him since. He was kind of old. Maybe he's dead now."

A year ago. That's when Reno and Rude had questioned him. When Rufus had waved a magic wand and made the investigation go away. They'd been reassigned and Manning never mentioned again. If they'd killed him then… if they'd acted before the man could go crying to the president to get the Turks off of his back… then Tifa never would have met him. She could blame Rufus and Manning for it all she wanted, but Reno only saw one truth. There was nobody to blame for it more than Reno…


	16. Moving On

**Chapter 16: Moving On**

_Tifa was busy fixing her hand, moving one card to the other side to try to figure out of if she had something worth playing or if she should just fold. Honestly, she had never been good at Poker. Cid had tried to teach her once, and then Wedge so long ago, but she never really had the desire to learn. She played for fun, never for real Gil, but she almost always lost. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised that Yuffie was far better at it than a girl of twenty-one should have been. Cid had long since quit, frustrated to have lost so many times to somebody so much younger than he was, and he went off to the porch to smoke a cigarette and presumably to complain to Vincent who'd been sitting out on the bench with Nanaki._

"_Should I just pretend I didn't ask?" Yuffie set her cards down and reached for her glass, sipping the wine and trying not to grimace. It was no secret she was trying to acquire the taste for it since it was expected that wine be served at her wedding. Since then, she had been attempting to find one that didn't make her want to spit it back up, but no such luck. "I'll never understand how Vinny and Cid can drink this shit like it's water…"_

"_I prefer a good beer," Tifa admitted, reaching for Yuffie's glass and taking a sip of it. "You might prefer a white wine, Yuffs. Something a bit sweeter. I have some if you want to try." Tifa set her hand down and got up to go behind the bar, looking through her selection. "Don't throw yours out," she said quickly when she saw the young woman approach the sink with her glass. Yuffie stood in mild shock, setting the glass down on the bar instead and hoisted herself onto one of the stools. "Yeah… I'm sure Vin wouldn't mind finishing it for me."_

"_Or me!" Tifa laughed, leaning forward to grab it. "I thought it was good."_

"_Still… do you think I should take him a glass?" She looked towards the window where she could see Cid yelling animatedly about something. If she listened hard enough she was pretty sure she'd be able to figure out what he was upset about this time, but she wasn't that interested. "On second thought, I'll wait… Cid's still ranting. Also I'm too lazy to go out there myself… I'll wait for him to come in."_

"_Good idea," she laughed, pouring some white wine into a glass. "Here. Try that."_

_Yuffie leaned over the bar to grab it, sniffing the contents first before hesitantly tilting it towards her lips. She sat back, pensive, tilted the glass again and then said, "It's pretty good. I guess I'll never just love wine like you guys do, but… I can at least stomach that one. Pour another glass. I'll take it out to Vinny and see what he thinks about it." Yuffie stood up, shuffling on her feet as she twiddled her fingers. "Never thought I'd be planning a wedding…" she admitted. "Or that I'd care to. Especially not one where Vincent Valentine is the groom."_

_Tifa smiled, setting the second glass on the bar and then started to pour a third for herself. "Won't lie… I didn't think I'd see the day, either." It was said in a joking manner, but they both knew it was not a joke. There'd been no indication in the past that Yuffie and Vincent would be exchanging vows, or that Vincent would ever consider becoming husband to anybody. Sometimes she wondered just what was going through his mind when he sat back and considered it. But she knew him well. Perhaps better than most people ever had, and she knew that if he didn't want to get married, then he wouldn't. Simple as that. "I think he'll make a good groom. And you'll make a beautiful bride. That reminds me, I spoke with Teresé at the dress shop and your fitting is on Friday."_

_Yuffie nodded but she didn't smile as Tifa thought she might. She'd been head over heels excited about the dress she'd found and had talked of little else for the last three days. But the look she wore now was one of worry, and Tifa couldn't possibly imagine what was going through her mind. She hoped it wasn't doubt or cold feet. Now that she'd gotten used to the idea, she would hate to see this wedding not happen. "Can you please answer my question?" Yuffie said in a soft voice. Tifa should have guessed that's what it was about. At least it wasn't cold feet…_

"_I don't want to talk about Cloud, Yuffs." She grabbed her wine and walked back around the bar to return to the table with Yuffie following close behind. "I know what you're thinking. That I'm still hung up on him. That I'm just sitting here, waiting for him to come back and that's why I won't close the bar. I know I'm alone. That when you get married, you'll be staying in Wutai and Vincent will have to stay with you. I can find help, you know. There's plenty of people in Edge and Midgar looking for work. It's not the end of the world."_

"_I just… I want to see you happy, Teefs. You deserve it."_

"_I am happy," she insisted. "Do I wish things had been different? Yes. Of course I do. I wish Cloud had stayed. I wish we had worked things through. Hell, I'd have been just as happy if he'd let me go with him. But, it is the way it is, and it happened for a reason. I firmly believe that. So, no… I'm not waiting for him. Not anymore. Maybe at first I was. I admit that…" She looked into her glass, swirling the liquid as she pulled one leg up onto the chair. "It's just… It's hard to talk about, you know. I thought he was my happy ending, and he wasn't. I'm over him, but it still hurts. I think it always will."_

_Yuffie frowned, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands. "I'm just afraid he's going to come back and… Well…"_

"_That I'll fall back into his arms and draw him up as another fairy tale prince charming?"_

"_I was going to at least try not to be so blunt about it… but yeah, that's pretty much what I'm worried about."_

_Tifa took a drink, savoring the sweetness of the wine as her eyes looked towards the window. Not too long ago, Vincent had expressed the same concerns. He had not worried about sounding too blunt. At the time, she had not been so sure of herself, of what she would do if Cloud ever walked back through that door. And she was certain he would. He left often, but he came back. He always did. And she had always taken him back. That was just who she was. But things were different now. She was different. "It won't end, will it? I'll take him back, and we'll be happy for a time. But then something will happen. He'll leave and I'll be miserable and wonder what it was that I did…? What I could have done to keep him? I've done this song and dance so many times. I could do the steps in my sleep. But… I don't want to do it anymore. I can't. I'm just… I'm too tired. It took me a long time to realize that. That sometimes you can love a person even if you're not meant to be with them. So don't worry, Yuffie. Nobody knows better than I do that Cloud and I will never work."_

_There was a silence that lingered between them after that. Tifa didn't mind it so much, but she could tell that Yuffie was trying to figure out what to say. It wasn't easy for her, she knew. Normally it was Tifa who listened and gave her advice, who was her shoulder and her confidant. Even so, she appreciated that Yuffie was trying. She was a far better friend than even she knew, and though she had her faults, there really wasn't anything that she would want her to change. "You really ought to smile more, Yuffie. I'm beginning to think you're afraid of getting married."_

_Her brown eyes seemed to light up then, sitting up straighter. "Of course I'm afraid of getting married!" she said loudly. "Vinny scares the shit out of me!" She stifled her laughter then, trying not to turn her head to look at the window, but Tifa could clearly see that Vincent had heard her. She took another drink as the door opened, the tall man entering wordlessly, his eyes fixed on the back of his fiancé's head. At last, turning around to look at him, she said casually, "Oh, honey… I didn't hear you come in. Thought you'd be out there for hours. Anyway, there's a glass of wine on the bar for you. Tell me what you think. I may have it served at our wedding."_

"_Really, Yuffie?" Tifa laughed, shaking her head, laughing even harder when Vincent rolled his eyes and started towards the bar._

"_What…? What'd I say?" she asked knowingly._

* * *

It was not a dream she had been keen to wake up from. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes to see what was making all that noise, and then laid it back down after she realized it was just Reno putting the supplies back into the bag. She shifted slightly, noting the ache in her lower back from having slept on such a hard surface, but even given her mild discomfort, she was not in too much of a hurry to get up. Besides, all that was waiting when she finally did accept that she was awake was a journey through the mines and then to the marshes where, more than likely, they would not be able to outrun the Midgar Zolom. Maybe a few more minutes of sleep. Could he really deny her that if he wanted her to be in fighting form?

"Tifa… wake up," Reno said, crouching down next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "We've got a long way to go today."

"Do we?" she asked, keeping her eyes clenched. "Just fifteen more minutes." She rolled over, putting her back to him as she gathered the bag of clothes under her head more securely, trying to make her makeshift pillow a bit more comfortable.

He tried not to laugh, leaning over her and moving a strand of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. "I already let you sleep longer than I had intended. We're getting started late, and there's just too much ground to cover."

"Fine…" she murmured. "Then carry me."

"No, I don't think that's going to work," he said lightly, shaking her again. When she didn't move, he sighed and stood up. She took that as him giving up and giving in, and she smiled with contentment as she settled in to catch a few more winks. He didn't miss the smile, and it made him curse under his breath, but there was no anger or malice. Shouldering the bag, he bent over her again, his arms wrapping around her securely as he hoisted her off the ground. Her eyes opened wide, and she put up a minor struggle until he bent to hook one arm beneath her knees, cradling her against him. "Weird… You're not nearly as heavy as you look," he joked, laughing when she smacked him hard on his shoulder. "Hey, grab that bag for me, will ya?" He bent slightly so she could reach for her clothes.

"You're not really going to carry me, are you?" Tifa asked, looping her free arm around his shoulders for extra support. She would not put it past him to drop her square on her ass.

"Nope." He didn't put her down, though. It wouldn't be the first time he'd carried her, and he was beginning to suspect it wouldn't be the last. It was, however, the first time he carried her when she wasn't unconscious. Theirs really was such an interesting history now the he thought about it.

"I just wondered… I imagine it won't be easy to fight off the Zolom while you're still holding me. But if you thought to give yourself a challenge, you're definitely going about it the right way." She noticed how his jaw seemed to tighten after she said that, and it was only in the next few moments that she realized they were heading the wrong way. She tapped his shoulder, waiting for his eyes to lock with hers before saying, "I don't know if you've noticed, Reno… but the Marshes are in the other direction."

"No, I know," he said, not even slowing down. "We're not going to the Marshes."

"Oh? Is there some other way to Midgar that I don't know about?" She shuffled in his arms, dropping the bag to force him to stop. He looked at her curiously but set her down, putting his hands in his pockets to allow her time to gather her bearings. She knelt down to tie her shoe, looking at his which she imagined had been black before they were covered in dirt and mud.

"There are plenty of ways to Midgar," he pointed out. "But on foot? No. There's only one way that I know of."

"So we won't be going on foot, is what you're saying?" At least that meant there'd be no Zolom to contend with, but that did sort of change the condition of her detainment. She only agreed to remain to keep him safe and to get him through the Marshes alive. If they were going to bypass that altogether, there really was no reason.

"No… We won't be going to Midgar." He walked past her as she stood up quickly, both of her eyes narrowing at him, but he pretended to be oblivious.

"Was there a change in plans?"

"You could say that…" While she had slept, Reno had remained awake, twisting and turning, trying to wrap his mind around what she'd told him. About the torture, about Manning… Had he known that to begin with… It shouldn't have mattered. The only thing that a Turk needed to worry about was finishing the mission. It was the one thing that they emphasized over and over again. To knowingly and blatantly walk away from a mission, and not only that but to also deliberately see that it failed… He would worry about the consequences later. He'd already made up his mind. Tifa would not be going to Midgar. No matter what. "Without a buggy, Fort Condor is a two day's journey on foot. I'm thinking once we get there, you could call one of your friends and… then this entire nightmare will be over for you."

Tifa hadn't moved, her feet planted firmly to the ground. "Hold on for a second," she said, louder than she meant to, but it at least got him to stop walking. What was he saying? That he was taking her back? That he was just going to say to hell with his mission and that was that? She knew better. The Turks would never accept that. And even if he lied, they wouldn't accept failure. The risk was too great, and she couldn't let him take it. "You don't have to do this. We can go to Midgar and I can…"

"Can what?" he demanded. "Can allow them to torture you? To put you back in one of those rooms that they throw people in when they want them to be forgotten? And for what? This was never about you? It never has been about you? I just… I can't let them… I can't… I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Or what I'm doing. I never… I don't understand any of this. But I know this is what needs to happen. That's about the only thing I know. That I've got to do whatever it takes to keep you away from Midgar." Away from Manning. "Besides, I thought you'd be happy about this. You've been saying all this time how you're going to leave the second we got through the Marshes. Why are you fighting this?"

Tifa didn't know. Well… she did, but she didn't know why she allowed it to come to this. She would have a conversation with herself later to see where she stood and why, but for now, it wasn't important. There were other matters that were slightly more pressing. "I won't let them hurt you, Reno. Not for my sake. I wouldn't want that for anybody… I… I think I understand now. You never had a choice. It's either do your job or lose your life. And I don't want that to happen. They won't kill me… I can handle whatever they throw at me."

He shook his head, walking back towards her. "See… that's where you're wrong. I do have a choice. I've always had a choice. I just justified it by saying I didn't. That it was better to be this than to be a poor, homeless thief running around in the slums, living from one mark to the next. I felt it was the only way… For so long my sister had taken care of me. I just wanted to make a better life for us. I thought becoming a Turk was the only way to get there. I worked so hard to separate myself from that life. To distance myself from my father. I thought anything was better than becoming him… So you see, I made a choice. I chose to become a Turk. I chose to be the way I am. And now I choose to take you to Fort Condor. You see how that works?"

He seemed to shrink after he finished talking, and she realized he hadn't meant to say that much. The entire trip he had avoided talking about his past, avoided answering her questions when she probed. She had always assumed it was because he just didn't want her to know, the he was not comfortable with her trying to get so close. It never occurred to her that maybe he was ashamed of it. That he didn't talk about it because he was trying to forget it. She hugged her arms around herself, fighting against her instinct to comfort him, to say something about it. From what she knew about Reno, it was better if she just let it go for now. And he did seem to sigh in relief when she asked, "And what will you choose to do after you take me to Fort Condor?"

"I… actually haven't thought that far ahead. I'm sort of just making this up as I go."

"I see…" she said softly. "Well then… Once we get to Fort Condor, you and I are going to sit down and figure out where we go from here. Because it's very clear that we just aren't seeing eye-to-eye."

"Well… I wasn't planning on taking your thoughts into consideration on this."

"That's too bad." She grabbed her bag again and started to head back to the entrance of the mines. "Really, Reno, if we're going to spending the next few days together, you really ought to learn how to trust me."

He was stunned, but what else could he do but follow her? "My mistake," he chuckled. "I'll remember that from now on."

"See that you do. Now come on… Pick up your feet. We've got a lot of ground to cover, and we spent way longer dilly-dallying than I'd intended." She smiled to herself at the look he gave her then, not quite able to suppress her laughter when she heard him groan behind her, muttering something about women and how he would never understand them.


End file.
